Ars Amatoria Theme Challenge: Madison and Nick
by Beckyhelene
Summary: A collection of stories involving Madison Rocca and Nick Russell
1. Guilt

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all characters therein belong to Disney.

Note: Well, it finally happened…..I've joined the slew of writers taking part of the Ars Amatoria challenge. I've been wanting to do this for a while, but it seemed like the couples I wanted to do where already being done by so many people or I just couldn't figure out how to write 'em.

Anyway, here I am, finally working my creative muscles to participate. Hope you like it.

Guilt

Summary: Takes place during Rock Solid. Nick looks back at his own actions as he feels responsible for Madison's condition.

Note: The dialogue in italics is supposed to mean sort of flashback-ish stuff taken from the episode itself….Actually, all the dialogue is taken directly from the episode. Heh.

She's not herself. She's not the same girl who walks all over the place with that camera in her hands. She's just standing there, blank eyes staring ahead of her. I can feel Vida's eyes…………so similar to hers………boring into me as she is fooled by my false callousness. If looks could kill, I'd be a goner. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad. Maybe this gnawing, churning feeling inside of me would disappear along with me. It's all my fault.

"_Gotcha!" _Her voice floated into the atmosphere like a song as she walked into the room.

"_Oh no, get that thing away from me,"_ I replied. If I could go back in time, I'd jump into that moment and give myself a swift kick in the behind. She was just trying to show me I was important to her like the others. She just wanted me to feel included.

"_Oh, come on Nick, don't be shy," _she teases me.

"_Me? I'm not the one who's always hiding behind that camera." _I practically felt the air in the room change as she lowered the camera.

"_I'm not hiding,"_ she says. I've offended her. I could've just stopped there and apologized…….but, I didn't.

"_I've watched you, Madison. You're so busy filming other people having fun, you never get out there and have fun yourself," _I don't know why I openly admitted to the fact that I had been watching her. There was something about her. Ever since the day we first came across Udonna and Rootcore. The way she came to me and tried to get me to stay, it somehow chiseled a cavern in my head where thoughts of her began to collect. Since that moment, I've watched her whenever I could. Maybe it was me trying to figure her out, figure out why she was in my head. I guess I thought that if I observed her long enough, the answer would ring out clear as a bell.

"_I have fun,"_ she tells me. I remember smirking at the fact that she used a change in toothpaste as a way to prove her wild nature. Now, I would gladly let her tell me about her purchasing a tube of wintergreen toothpaste at the store over and over again just so I didn't have to see her like this. Blank eyes, blank stare, blank expression. Blank.

She's not the girl I've been watching these past few days. The girl I've been watching is a flash of blue dancing in my head as I watch her walk through the store. The girl I've been watching smiles and looks down shyly from time to time. This person standing in the middle of Rootcore is not that. She's gray, unmoving and dull gray. There is no smile on her face or mystery in her averting eyes. There's nothing. And it's all because of me. I took away the blue.

"Then there's Nick. The new guy in town. We don't know too much about him yet, but I can feel it, he's something special. So those are my friends, old and new. I know I can count on them for anything," The rock music fades as we finish watching the video she had been making.

"Everyone expresses themselves differently, Nick," Udonna speaks, but her words are lost on me. Everything is drowned out by this churning inside of me. "Maybe Madison does it through her films." The churning only worsens as I try to bring myself back into reality.

"You're right," I say, looking at Vida who is still looking at me through narrow eyes. She knows. She knows I somehow hurt her sister. "I was clueless." My feet move on their own as I walk back to this imitation of mysterious blue. "I shouldn't have gone shooting my mouth off," the words just flow out of me as I look at the gray thing. The gray thing that isn't the dancing thought in my head. I step closer to her; her eyes are unmoving, blank. "I'm going to get you out of this Maddie, I promise." I promise. Even if I have to sacrifice myself……..all that matters is this gray thing disappears and my flash of blue returns to where she belongs. It's the only remedy to this churning and gnawing feeling inside of me.


	2. GreenEyed Monster

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all characters therein belong to Disney.

Note: This takes place during the end of Rock Solid. It is also connected to the first theme story.

Green-Eyed Monster

There she is, the flash of blue. She walks around the store with her camera like nothing had happened to her. I can't help but admire that about her. I watch her bring the camera around to Vida as the two sisters laugh together. Her laugh is fluid, like the element she represents.

I feel my feet making my way towards her, wanting to tell her all the things she makes me feel. I want to tell my flash of blue the truth………………But then **he **appears. I recognize him as the guy who had been with her when the blue was replaced by the gray. He was worried about my blue angel. And now he's here…….

She lowers her camera and becomes silent……my insides burn as she looks down and smiles at him. They walk around the store together; I feel my fingers tightening into fists, my short nails digging into my palms. All I want to do is run over to them, pull her away and kiss her until we're both breathless, not caring about whether or not he sees it. I hope he sees it. I hope he sees that she's mine and mine alone.

I shake my head as I try to be nonchalant, busying my hands with a nearby magazine and talking to Vida, making a comment about Madison coming out of her shell when my eyes are burning holes into the back of his head. I assure Vida that Madison can take care of herself and force myself to look at the magazine, the insignificant prop I had picked up, just to tear my eyes off of the sight of my blue angel, giggling nervously with someone who wasn't me.


	3. Denial

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all characters therein belong to Disney.

Note: Not connected to the previous theme entries in any way.

Summary: Chip's uncle is out of town, leaving Chip alone in the house……teen+guardian out of town+a friend like Xander equals PARTY!

As Madison and Vida help Chip set up for the event, Madison redefines the saying "Denial isn't just a river in Egypt"

Denial

"I can't believe Chip's actually throwing a party at his house," Madison stated from her spot on the passenger side seat in Vida's car.

"What's hard to believe?" Vida asked. "Xander talked him into it," Madison laughed and nodded, knowing her sister had a point. Chip's uncle had gone away for the weekend, leaving Chip alone in the house. Of course, Xander caught wind of the fact that his friend would have a house to himself for an entire weekend and began brow beating Chip into agreeing to have a party at his house. Within hours, most of the school had heard of a party going on, meaning Chip was about to have dozens of strangers traipsing through his house. Chip had begged and pleaded for the Rocca sisters to get to his house earlier and help him make the house party proof---lock any doors that weren't open to the public, put away any expensive breakable items, etc etc.

"Poor Chip," Madison sighed. Vida made a low humming sound, indicating she agreed as they pulled up to Chip's house. The second Vida shut off the car; Chip opened the front door and walked out to meet his friends.

"I'm going to kill Xander," Chip remarked as he approached them. Madison and Vida laughed and shook their heads.

"You could've said no to the whole party thing," Madison replied as she grabbed shopping bags from the back of Vida's car and handed them to Chip.

"What's this?" He asked.

"We figured you'd probably forget to buy party essentials, so we took care of that for you," Vida said.

"Oh," Chip nodded and walked back into the house. Vida stood beside Madison and put an arm around her sister's shoulders.

"So, sis, anyone in particular you planning on seeing tonight?" Vida asked. Madison raised an eyebrow at her.

"No…"

"Are you sure? No certain someone with a penchant to wear red……who rides a motorcycle?" Vida teased. Vida had been teasing Madison about her crush on Nick for weeks………a crush Madison was reluctant to admit or acknowledge.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Madison said.

"Uh huh, sure," Vida smirked, not believing her sister for a second.

"GUYS!" Chip yelled from inside the house. "People are going to start showing up in less than an hour, come on!"

"Coming!" The Rocca girls replied. Madison turned back to the car, regarding some of Vida's DJ equipment that Vida had brought along. "How are we going to get that into the house?" Madison said, pointing at the equipment. Before Vida could respond, the sisters heard the roar of an oncoming motorcycle. The motorcycle pulled up right in front of Vida's car and shut off. The rider kicked out the stand before getting off the bike and taking off his helmet.

"Hey guys," Nick said as he tucked the helmet away on his bike.

"Hey, Nick, what are you doing here?" Madison asked.

"Vida called me earlier. She said you guys were helping Chip set up for the party and asked if I could lend a hand," Nick said. Madison narrowed her eyes and looked at her sister.

"I'm going to go start helping Chip," Vida said with a smirk as she retreated to the house. Madison rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Did I miss something?" Nick asked, feeling a little confused. Madison shook her head.

"No, just….." Madison shook her head again. "It's nothing,"

"Okay," Nick said. He walked over to the back of Vida's car. "Need some help carrying this stuff in?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah," Madison said.

----

The four rangers brought in all of the equipment together before parting ways inside the house—Chip and Nick taking the equipment down to the basement while the girls went about the house and putting things away.

"Mind explaining why you had to call Nick?" Madison asked as she picked up a vase. Vida smirked behind her sister's back.

"What? I figured we might need some help."

"Right and why couldn't you call Xander?" Madison asked. Vida gave a fake shrug.

"I guess I didn't think to call him," Vida put a hand on Madison's shoulders. "But, why should it matter if I called him? I thought you weren't into him?" Vida teased. Madison glared at her sister.

"I'm not," Madison replied indignantly. "I just don't think you needed to call him," Madison replied. Vida chuckled and patted her sister's shoulder.

"You know what they say about denial, right sis?" Vida asked. Madison sighed and went to put away the vase she was holding. "It ain't just a river in Egypt," Vida called after her.

"Shut up," Madison said from inside Chip's room where she was putting the vase.

"Hey, V," came Chip's voice as he came up from the basement. Vida looked at him. "We got the stuff downstairs, Nick said he'll help you hook everything up," he said. Vida nodded.

"All right, thanks," Vida said as she went down to the basement, leaving Chip in the living room. He started picking up some ceramic knick knacks from the mantle when he heard Madison talking.

"Even if I did have a crush on Nick, not that I do, we're just friends. He's just like Chip and Xander, a friend...and teammate……and co-worker, and…." Madison's voice trailed off as she came into the room and saw Chip standing there, staring at her with a mildly surprised expression "Oh my gosh," she gasped. "I…………….I thought you were Vida….."

"She's downstairs………" Chip said. Madison pursed her lips and nodded.

"Right…..Of course she is," Madison said. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling very embarrassed. "You didn't just hear what I said, right?" She asked.

"Hear what?" Chip asked. Madison sighed, opening her eyes. Chip smiled at her as he went to put the knick knacks in his room. "Come on, _teammate_, we better get these things put away before everyone shows up," he teased as he disappeared inside his room. Madison groaned as she heard Chip's laughter floating from the room.


	4. Game

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all characters therein belong to Disney.

Note: Continuation of "Denial"

Summary: Chip's uncle is out of town, leaving Chip alone in the house……teen+guardian out of town+a friend like Xander equals PARTY! The party is underway when Madison is forced to face the very thing she's been so busy denying.

2nd note: Sorry for the extreme length……the muses just grabbed onto me and wouldn't let go, lol.

3rd note: Put in some Chip/Vida-ness in there for you guys as well. :-D

Game

After Chip, Vida, Nick and Madison finished setting the house up for the party, the four of them just sat in the living room, awaiting the crowd. Vida had emptied out the numerous bags of snacks she and Madison had brought into bowls and set them about the house.

"I can't believe I let Xander talk me into this……….And he didn't even show up to help," Chip groaned. Vida rolled her eyes.

"Chip, will you stop griping about that? Yeah, it sucks that you let Xander talk you into doing this, but what done is done, no amount of living in the past is going to change that," Chip frowned and slumped back on the couch. Vida sighed and patted her friend's arm. "It'll be fun," she told him. Madison got up and went to the table where she and Vida had set up the drinks and grabbed a plastic cup. Nick got up and followed her. Madison was a little surprised when she saw his hand reach around her as he grabbed a plastic cup.

"Sorry," he said as he poured himself some soda.

"Its okay," she told him. After Nick poured himself the soda, he held the bottle out to her, indicating he'd pour her some. Madison smiled and held her cup out. Back on the couch, Chip and Vida watched as Nick tipped the bottle and filled Madison's cup, both very amused.

"Never fear all, Xander is here!" Came a voice from the foyer as the front door opened and closed. Everyone rolled their eyes.

---

Within an hour, nearly half of the student body showed up at Chip's house. The only thing that kept the living room from being a madhouse was the fact that many were in the basement enjoying the music. Xander was sitting on one of the couches with two girls, trying to put "Plan Xander" into effect. By the sounds of the two giggling girls, it seemed to be working. Chip was running about the house, making sure no one stained the carpet or broke the windows. Vida was downstairs tending to the music. Nick was wandering about the party, engaging in idle chit chat with other guests and Madison was walking about, helping Chip by being a dutiful hostess—refilling the snack bowls, offering to refresh people's drinks. At one point during the party, Madison found herself refilling the pretzel bowl. She cast her gaze across the living room and saw Nick leaning against the wall. He caught her gaze and gave her a big smile which Madison returned.

"Nick, there you are!" Came a voice, causing both teens to break their eye contact and look at the source of the voice. There stood Andrea Gravaldi, a classmate of theirs who had made her interest in Nick pretty well known to all. She made Leelee's advances to Nick seem demure and shy.

"Andrea…….hey……" Nick replied, trying to keep his cringe hidden.

"How are you?" She asked, situating herself against the wall in a way that her body was pressed up against his. Madison watched them. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous as she watched Andrea flip her curly red hair over her shoulder flirtatiously.

"Great……just great……." Nick said. He sighed and looked over Andrea's shoulder, catching Madison's gaze again. _'Help me_' he mouthed to her. Madison couldn't help smile at that, realizing that Nick had no intention of giving into Andrea's advances. She set down the bag of pretzels and made her way over to them.

"So, Nick, want to dance?" Andrea asked.

"Uh…." Nick said, trying to think of a nice way to turn her down, he gave a sigh of relief when he saw Madison come up to them.

"Hey Nick, want to dance?" Madison said. Andrea glared at Madison.

"Excuse me; do you not see me standing here?" She snapped.

"Uh, sorry Andrea, I sort of already promised Madison a dance," he said quickly, stepping away from her. Andrea frowned as her glare intensified.

"Whatever," she spat out as she walked away. Madison and Nick looked at each other and laughed.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he said. Madison giggled.

"No problem," she said. The two of them stood there staring at each other for a while.

"Whoo!" Someone yelled as a bunch of party attendants rushed about the living room, playing what looked like a game of football with one of the throw pillows. One of the players bumped into Madison, knocking her into Nick.

"Whoa," she muttered as her hands instinctively went to Nick's shoulders to steady herself. Nick grabbed a hold of her waist as he felt her fall against him. Madison slowly looked up at Nick as he helped her regain her balance. "Thanks.." she said softly. Nick nodded.

"No problem," he said. He blinked and looked over to the group that had rushed past them. He saw Chip trying to get them to stop. "I should probably go help Chip," Nick said. Madison nodded.

"Yeah, I should get back to refilling the snack bowls," Madison said. She slowly pulled her hands off his shoulders as Nick let go of her waist. "So, I guess I'll see you around," she said. Nick nodded. Madison turned around and went back to the snack table. After a while, Chip, with Nick's help, was able to calm down the rowdy jocks and order was restored to the party.

"Thanks, Nick," Chip said. Nick smiled at his friend.

"No problem man," he said. He looked over Chip's head and scanned the living room.

"Looking for someone?" Chip asked.

"Uh no……Just wondering where Madison went off to," Nick said. Chip smirked. _Really, now?_ He thought to himself.

"I think she went downstairs," Chip told him. Nick looked at him.

"Thanks, man," Nick said as he made his way to the basement. Chip laughed and shook his head.

"So obvious," he muttered. His thought was cut off by the sound of something breaking in the distance. He looked over and saw that someone had knocked over one of the ceramic knick knacks he had forgotten to put away. "HEY!" He exclaimed as he went over to the culprit.

----

As Nick entered the basement, he was greeted by the heavy pulsating beats coming from Vida's equipment. He saw couples dancing together to the music, some dancing innocently and some grinding together and holding each other so close, it was hard to say where one person began and the other ended. Nick scanned the room and smiled at the sight of Madison. She was standing near the equipment, swaying to the music. She put her arms in the air and closed her eyes as she rocked to the beat that her sister was providing. Nick was mesmerized by her movements. Without realizing it, he felt himself walking towards her, sidestepping the dancing people. He finally reached her and simply stood there, watching her. Vida caught sight of this and simply smiled at how oblivious Madison was.

"How about that dance?" Nick finally said close to Madison's ear. Madison jumped a bit and spun around.

"Nick! You scared me!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry," he said. "So, dance?" He asked. Madison stared at him.

"Oh…….I thought………..I mean………..Andrea………I……" she stopped and took a deep breath. "Sure," she said. Nick smiled and took her hand, leading her to a spot on the dance floor. Vida grinned at the sight of this as she shut off the heavy dance music and put on a slow song. Madison eyes widened as she cast a look at her sister. _'I'm going to kill you!_' Madison mouthed to her. Vida's grin only got bigger as she gave her an innocent shrug.

"You okay?" Nick asked. Madison looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. Nick took hold of her waist as Madison put her arms around his shoulders. They slowly swayed to the music together. Nick gazed down at her. Madison couldn't bring herself to look at him. Her nervous feelings made her look down at their unmoving feet.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nick asked.

"Mmmhmm, I'm fine……." Madison assured him. As the song continued, Nick's hands went around her waist, pulling her closer to him. This surprised her as she looked up at him with wide eyes before she just let herself sink into the moment. She got closer to him and rested her head against his chest. The song played on for a few more minutes with the two of them gripped in its spell. Soon, much too soon for either of their liking, the song ended and Vida turned the dance music back on. Madison slowly lifted her head off of Nick's chest. The two of the stared into each others eyes for a while.

"Maddie……I……" Nick began, his breath tickling Madison's lips.

"Yeah?" Madison asked. Before Nick could respond, he felt a hand clamp down on his arm and tug him backwards. Madison and Nick blinked and looked over to see Andrea standing there with an expectant look on her face.

"My turn, right?" She asked. Madison and Nick looked at each other. Nick looked back at Andrea.

"I………"

"Good," she said with a smile that reached both her ears. She practically shoved Madison away from Nick. Madison stumbled backwards as Andrea hooked her arm around Nick's neck and began dancing with him, her hips grinding into his. Nick, still reeling from his moment with Madison and the fast change of partners was slow to react to this as he just stood there and let Andrea move into him. Madison cast a look over at Vida before quickly leaving the basement.

"Maddie!" Vida called out to her, even though she knew there's no way Madison would hear her over the loud music. Vida let the song play on as she left the basement in search of her sister. Vida came out to the living room where she found Xander and Chip arguing.

"Why the heck did you have to tell so many people?" Chip yelled at Xander.

"I don't get why you're getting so upset, mate, I've just elevated your social status."

"I was perfectly fine with my social status!" Chip yelled.

"Hey!" Vida yelled, barging into the argument before either could say something they'd regret later.

"What?" Chip and Xander both yelled at her, both in the grips of their argument. "Uh, sorry," Chip quickly amended.

"Yeah, sorry, V," Xander said. "What's up?"

"Have you guys seen Maddie?"

"Yeah, she wanted to go to the bathroom but the line was too long, so I let her go use the one upstairs," Chip said. The 2nd story of the house had been deemed off limits for the party, since that's where his uncle's bedroom was, but of course, Chip made an exception for Madison.

"Thanks," Vida said before going upstairs. Vida stood in the dark upstairs hallway, trying to navigate herself through it to find her sister. She finally saw a sliver of light coming from a partially opened doorway. She walked towards the light and walked through the door where she saw Madison sitting on the edge of a bathtub with her head down, small whimpering whining sobs coming from her mouth. "Oh, Maddie," Vida whispered, closing the door behind her. She sat on the toilet seat next to Madison and put a hand on her sister's leg.

"I'm fine…….I just…….My ears hurt from the loud music," Madison said, lying unsuccessfully.

"No, Madison, you're not fine," Vida said. She sighed and pulled her sister into a hug. "I'm sorry," she told her.

"I thought maybe………..maybe he might……" Madison began, her voice trailing off. Vida rubbed her back.

"I know, I know," she said. Madison sobbed against Vida's shoulder for a long while as Vida whispered comforting words to her.

----

After a few hours, the party had begun to calm down as people started to leave since the music had died down because of Vida comforting her sister in the bathroom. Nick had managed to ditch Andrea and was now simply playing referee between Chip and Xander, who were still arguing.

"Guys, come on, you've been friends for years. Don't let something like this come between you two," Nick sighed.

"Don't look at me, he's the one taking advantage of me and my house," Chip spat out. Xander stared at Chip with wide eyes.

"Taking advantage of you? Chip, don't tell me you honestly think that," Xander asked, horrified that Chip would think such a thing.

"Well, do you see this party going on at your house?" Chip asked. Xander sighed.

"You're right," he said. "I'm sorry," he said. He shrugged. "My reckless teenager brain just flared up at the mention of your uncle going away for the weekend," he put a hand on Chip's shoulder. "I promise, I'll help you clean up after everyone's gone." Chip raised an eyebrow.

"Help?" Chip asked.

"……Okay, I promise I'll do all the cleaning…" Xander amended. Chip laughed and nodded, all was forgiven.

"Damn," Nick muttered as he caught sight of Andrea searching the room for him. He gave Chip a pleading look. "Man, please tell me there's someway I can hide from her," he begged.

"I got it covered," Xander said, taking Nick by the arm and leading him away. Chip watched as Xander took Nick to Chip's room and had him go into the room before shutting the door and standing near it nonchalantly, obviously playing Nick's look out.

"Hey, Chip," came a voice. Chip turned around to see Vida standing behind him.

"Hey," he said.

"Do you think my stuff will be safe here for the night? Maddie's not feeling too great so we're just going to head home,"

"What's wrong with her? Was it the dip? I KNEW that guacamole smelled weird," Chip said, afraid he had somehow poisoned his friend, not to mention the party guests. Vida laughed.

"No, no, the guacamole is fine. It's……..A little hard to explain," Chip gave her a look that pleaded for her to tell him. He was worried about Madison. Vida took a deep breath and told him about what had happened in the basement. Chip looked at her.

"But…Nick doesn't like Andrea," he told her.

"He doesn't?"

"Well, if he did, then him hiding from her in my room is just plain weird……well, weirder." Vida laughed.

"So, what do we do?" She asked. Chip dawned a thoughtful expression.

"That depends,"

"On?"

"How desperate we are to get these two together," Chip said.

"What are you thinking, Chip Thorn?" She asked.

"Remember the summer before eighth grade?" He asked.

----

"Vida, I really want to just go home," Madison pleaded as Vida led her down the stairs to the living room.

"I know, Mads, but Chip practically begged me to stay. He really wants us all to stick around until all the crazies depart," she said. Madison sighed.

"Okay," she said. The two of them sat down in the living room. Little did Madison know that Vida and Chip had formed a plan……It wasn't a very good plan, in Vida's mind. Actually it had several characteristics of a very stupid plan, but it was better than nothing. Chip had informed Xander of the goings on in hopes of having another person involved who could run interference with Andrea. Xander also had thought the idea lived in the realm of the stupid, but seeing as he had just gotten on good terms with Chip, he wasn't about to risk hurting his friend's feelings. After a while, the few remaining party guests congregated in the living room. Xander was able to get Nick out Chip's room and the two of them, including Chip, joined everyone else in the living room. By the time Nick got to the living room, most of the couches and seats were occupied, so he simply sat on the floor. Vida, Chip and Xander all shared a look as Chip sat on one of the armchairs and Xander went to the drink table.

"Anyone up for some spin the bottle?" Xander asked as he returned with a bottle of Pepsi that still had about 1/3 of liquid left in it.

"What?" Nick asked, a little surprised.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Xander cajoled. The other guests seemed to be okay with this as they all voiced their agreements.

"Wow, I haven't played this since I was thirteen," Madison muttered. She tilted her head to the side as the memory became clear in her mind. "Vida, remember when you and Chip had to kiss?" She said, giggling at the memory. The two of them looked so awkward together. Chip had yet to go through a grow spurt and Vida was already rather tall so she practically towered over the young red haired boy, not to mention the fact that it had been both of their first kiss.

"Chip and Vida kissing, really?" Xander asked, intrigued.

"It was just a game," Vida snapped lightly, seriously beginning to wonder why she agreed to this plan.

"Oooh, spin the bottle, fun" Came Andrea's voice as she walked into the living room. Madison's smile disappeared as she looked down. Andrea made her way to sit on the floor next to Nick.

"Uh, Andrea, here," Chip said, standing up quickly, trying to give her his seat.

"Oh, no that's fine," she said as she went to sit down. Chip grabbed her arm.

"Really, I insist," Chip urged.

"Okay………Fine……." She said as she went to sit in the newly vacant arm chair. "Weirdo," she muttered. Chip rolled his eyes. _Nice girl,_ he thought sarcastically as he sat down on the floor.

"All right then," Xander said as he set the bottle in the middle of the circle that had formed and gave it a spin, officially starting the game. The game went on for a while with everyone whooping and laughing whenever people had to kiss. About twenty minutes into the game Susan Lords had just finished kissing Xander when it was her turn to spin the bottle. It landed on Chip and the two kissed. Chip then took his turn and was surprised to see it land on Vida. Everyone laughed uproariously at that.

"I'm suddenly having a flashback to the age of thirteen," Vida joked as the two joined for a kiss. Unlike the simple peck Chip and Susan shared, the kiss lasted a little longer before the two separated. Once it ended, Vida cleared her throat. "Well, that was different," she muttered. Chip simply sat down on the couch as Vida took her turn at the bottle. The game went on. "When exactly is your plan going to take effect? I mean, unless your plan was to see how many girls Xander could kiss in the period of one game, it isn't working," Vida whispered to Chip.

"I was thinking of general probability," Chip replied. "I mean, I thought the bottle would've landed on one of them by now,"

"Just so you know, this was a stupid plan," Vida said. Chip rolled his eyes.

"Looks like it's my turn again," Xander announced. He gave the bottle a spin. "And the next lucky lady is……." His voice trailed off as the bottle pointed at Nick. "…….Nick?"

"Uh, sorry man, I just like you as a friend," Nick laughed.

"Ha-ha," Xander said dryly.

"Your lips need a rest anyway, Bly," one of the party guest joked.

"Yeah, let's just let Nick go," another said. Xander shrugged.

"Fine by me," he said. Nick rolled his eyes and gave the bottle a spin.

"My plan is not a stupid plan," Chip whispered to Vida as the bottle began to rotate around the room.

"We'll see," Vida replied. The bottle slowed to a stop as it neared Andrea. Andrea grinned as she saw this. "And that is evidence of a stupid plan," Vida hissed. Madison saw the bottle about to stop on Andrea. Watching Nick and Andrea kiss was something she just couldn't do. Madison's eyes narrowed as she focused on the liquid inside the bottle. The liquid shifted against the side of the bottle, forcing the plastic thing to continue its rotation, causing Andrea to frown. Vida's eyes widened and she leaned towards Madison.

"I saw that," she whispered to her sister.

"Saw what?" Madison asked. Vida chuckled and sat back on the couch. The bottle finally came to a stop in front of Madison. "Oh," she breathed out. All she had cared about was keeping the bottle from pointing at Andrea. She never thought the bottle would point to her. Nick stared at Madison for a long while, surprised the bottle had actually landed on her.

"Well? Are you just going to sit there all night?" Xander urged. Nick closed his eyes and slowly got up from his spot on the floor.

"I think there's something wrong with that bottle," Andrea muttered. Nick walked over to where Madison sat on the couch and gently took hold of her hand, guiding her to her feet. Madison stood up in front of him, feeling nervous and awkward. Nick cupped her face with his hands. Madison closed her eyes as Nick drew closer to her. _Nick is about to kiss me…………..I'm about to be kissed by Nick…………..Because of a stupid bottle………that I tampered with………..in front of everyone…………. _Madison's insides began to churn as she realized that this was not how she wanted Nick to kiss her.

"I can't," she said just as Nick's lips were about to connect with hers. Madison opened her eyes and gently pulled Nick's hands off her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered before practically sprinting out of the house.

"Maddie...wait……" Nick called after her as he followed.

"Stupid plan, very stupid plan!" Vida hissed at Chip.

-------

Madison walked out of Chip's house and stopped, realizing that Vida was the one who had the keys to the car and she had no intention of going back inside that house. Madison sighed and walked to Chip's backyard. She groaned as she flopped down on one of the swings located in the back yard. She remembered playing on the swing set with Chip and Vida when they were kids. To this day, she still found it funny that Chip's uncle had yet to dismember it. _Then again,_ she thought to herself, _this is Chip we're talking about. _Madison sighed and gripped the chains of the swing as she started to pump herself on it, trying to do anything she could to forget about her embarrassing moment. She focused on the ground moving beneath her and let her mind wander.

Nick walked out of Chip's house and looked around the front yard, searching for Madison. He heard the squeaking of a swing coming from the backyard and made his way there, hoping she hadn't gone too far and was just sitting in the backyard. Nick's hopes were confirmed as he saw her swinging back and forth, the moonlight illuminating her. He walked over to the swing set and simply stood nearby as she seemed to be oblivious to him.

"Maddie?" He asked. Madison had indeed been oblivious to him as his voice startled her. Her foot jammed into the ground, stopping the swing short and causing her body to lurch forward. Madison shrieked as she hit the ground. "Oh my god, Madison," Nick fretted as he quickly went to her side. Madison groaned and pushed herself up to a sitting position. _What am I, cosmically cursed! _She thought to herself. Nick kneeled beside her. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Mmmhmm," she said. "Just…….unbelievably embarrassed," she muttered.

"I'm really sorry," Nick said. Madison sighed as she pushed herself up to her feet and dusted the dirt off of her jeans. Nick stood up as well and helped her by gently sweeping at the dirt on her shirt. "I seem to have a penchant for startling you tonight, huh?"

"Yeah," Madison said. Nick and Madison stood there for a while.

"Listen, about before-" Madison began  
"About Andrea-" Nick began, their voices overlapping. They paused and chuckled softly.

"You first," Nick said.

"No, no, you go ahead," she said.

"Well, I just wanted to apologize for Andrea shoving you like that before. She shouldn't have done that……….And I shouldn't have let her get away with it,"

"It's……Its okay," Madison said.

"I just……didn't want you to think I thought that was okay or anything,"

"I know," Madison nodded.

"What were you going to say?" Nick asked. Madison shook her head.

"It's nothing," she said.

"Maddie!" Came Vida's voice from the front yard. "Maddie, where are you?"

"I should go," Madison said.

"Right," Nick said. "Uh, wait," he said. Madison looked at him. He wanted to say something, anything to make her stay, unfortunately, he couldn't think of anything. His solution came when he spotted something on her cheek.

"What?" She asked.

"You've got some dirt on your cheek," he said.

"Oh, man, I do?" Madison groaned as she wiped at her cheek. "Did I get it?"

"No," he said with a slightly amused tone. "Here, let me get it," he said. He cupped her face with his hand and moved his thumb against her cheek in a circular motion, wiping the dirt away. Although, even after the dirt was gone and his hand stopped going in circles, he still kept his hand on her cheek.

"Thanks," Madison said. She stared up into his eyes.

"No problem," he said. The two of them stood there, staring into each others eyes.

"Nick?" Madison asked, feeling a little unsure as to what was happening. Instead of replying, Nick swooped in and captured her lips with his. Madison's eyes drifted shut as she responded to the kiss, moaning gently as Nick's tongue traced her lips. She felt like an idiot just standing there with her arms at her sides as Nick kissed her, but she didn't know what to do so she just stood there as the kiss continued. After a while, Nick released her from the kiss. Madison stared up at him.

"Sorry," he muttered as he let go of her cheek and looked down. Madison couldn't help smile briefly as she pressed her lips together, enjoying the lingering taste of Nick's lips.

"No….Uh……That………That was nice……" She said.

"Really?" He asked. "I just thought……..you know, with you rushing out………."

"I just…………….felt a little nervous," she admitted. "And……….it was just a little weird……you know, with everyone there……" She said, blushing a bit. Nick smiled.

"So, would it be okay if I kissed you again?" He asked. Madison bit her lower lip and nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be okay," she said. Nick got closer to her and put his arms around her waist. Madison put her arms around his neck as the two joined for another kiss.

Not too far from the couple, Chip and Vida stood at the edge of the backyard, watching the two of them.

"Okay, it was a good plan," Vida told Chip. Chip chuckled and put a friendly arm around her shoulders as the two of them left the backyard to give the newly formed couple some privacy.

END


	5. Home

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all characters therein belong to Disney.

Summary: Nick's gotten used to not staying in one place long enough to make friends or form any type of deep connection with anyone, but now he finds himself wanting to stay in Briarwood……..and it isn't just because of his ranger duties.

Note: To remove any confusion: This isn't related to Denial/Game.

Home

"Nick, do you mind locking up tonight?" Nick looked up from re-pricing some CDs.

"I thought it was Xander's turn to lock up," Nick replied. Toby sighed.

"Yeah, but he just backed out. Said he's got a date tonight," he said. Nick smiled. Any other boss would probably not let anyone get away with that, but Toby wasn't really a boss. Of course, he was a boss in the sense that he assigned shifts and gave out paychecks, but he was more of a friend to everyone.

"Sure, no problem," Nick nodded. He had been planning on just going home and kicking back with a movie that evening, but he could see that Toby was in a bit of a bind. Toby smiled and patted the younger man's shoulder.

"Thanks, Nick," he said before walking away.

"You're closing up?" Nick turned and saw Madison standing behind him.

"Looks like it," Nick said with a shrug as he went back to what he had been doing earlier.

"Want some company?" She asked. Nick looked at her. He felt the corner of his mouth turn up in a half smile.

"Sure, that'd be cool," he said. Madison returned the smile.

"All right, let me just go tell Vida I won't be riding home with her," she said as she went off to find her sister. Nick watched her walk across the store, his smile only growing wider. In the past few months that he had been in Briarwood, he had been surprised at how close he had gotten to the others. He wasn't one to make friends quickly. In fact, he tended to prefer being alone. Even before his parents went off to work overseas, he wasn't exactly what you'd call a social child. Which is probably why being treated like a pinball being knocked in different directions by his family didn't seem like such a bad thing.

When his parents first left, Nick had visions of going to live with his sister and partaking in her collegiate bohemian lifestyle. But, his parents didn't think it'd be fair to their daughter to have to worry about finals and mid-terms _and _her little brother, so they sent Nick to live with his uncle in Silver Hills. The original plan was for Nick to stay there until his parents came back to the states. Unfortunately, barely a year into Nick's stay, his uncle got a promotion at his job which required him to do a large amount of traveling. So Nick went to stay with some cousins. For the following two years, Nick moved from place to place, each time his stay getting even shorter and shorter. It got to a point that Nick didn't even bother unpacking his things, since he knew he'd be leaving shortly. Girls saw him as some exciting loner drifter type. That persona and the motorcycle resulted in him not being left wanting in that department……if he ever bothered to pay any mind to the girls or anyone in general. He had told himself that it was pointless to start making friends now.

While he was living with his grandparents, Nick's sister had called and told him that she had just gotten a job in a town called Briarwood and had bought a nice house. She asked him to come live with her. Nick couldn't help feel a sort of sense of importance at the fact that he was being asked to come live somewhere, instead of being told he had to go somewhere else. But in the back of his mind, he figured he'd just stay with her for a few months before gracing the doorstep of another family member. That was before he met **them**, more specifically, **her.**

He hadn't even been in Briarwood for a whole day before Madison basically implied he should stay in Briarwood. It gave him a feeling of being wanted. It was like the feeling he got when his sister asked him to move to Briarwood…….but different………much more powerful. At first, Nick couldn't quite understand that. How could something said by a complete stranger hold more weight than something said by his own sister? Sure, he was adopted and he and his sister had no biological ties to each other, but she was his sister none the less. His sister gave him a feeling of being wanted yet there was something missing. Madison gave him a hope of connecting to people………She made him feel like he was finally home.

----

Later on that night, the store was completely empty except for Nick and Madison. Nick had just finished counting the store's income for the day and marking down the receipts. He was now sweeping the floor while Madison sat on the counter watching him.

"Doing your Xander impression, I see," Nick joked as he swept behind the counter.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, when you offered to stay, I kind of got the crazy idea that you'd help. But, I guess you're just supervising, huh?" Madison laughed.

"Okay, I get the hint," she said as she hopped off the counter and grabbed a rag. She began dusting off the surfaces in the store. The two of them cleaned the store in a comfortable silence. It would be interrupted from time to time when Nick would sweep nearby her and she'd playfully swat the rag at him, causing them both to laugh. After they finished cleaning, they sat together on the couch located at the back of the store, resting before they parted ways. Madison turned on her camera and pointed it at Nick. The whirring sounds it made as it powered up caught Nick's attention, causing him to groan.

"Not again," he joked, when in reality having her focus the camera on him filled him with a type of thrill. Madison laughed and simply gazed at him though the monitor on her camera.

"Come on, you know you like it," she said. Nick laughed and shook his head.

"You never give up, do you?"

"Not when I have such an interesting subject," she said. Nick smiled.

"Well, when you put it like that, how in the world can I refuse?" He asked, causing her to laugh again. She set down the camera and looked at him.

"Mind if I ask you a question?"

"You just did," he kidded. "Okay, what's up?"

"Well, remember the first day you came to Briarwood?" She asked. Nick smiled softly at the fact that she mentioned the very thing he had been thinking about earlier.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, I'm just wondering. If you hadn't finally started to believe in magic and come to our rescue with Koragg……would you have stayed in Briarwood?" Nick's brows furrowed. Part of him was a little taken aback that she would ask such a question…..the other part was unsure how to answer.

"I don't know," he said, not sure if he was willing to admit that he had been on his way out of town when he went to help the others. "I mean, that's kind of a hard question to answer,"

"Is it?"

"Well, yeah. I mean…….I guess…..maybe at the time, I might have left……..But……."

"But?" She asked.

"Things are different,"

"Such as?" Madison asked gently. Nick held back a groan. Madison truly was nosey. Not that he'd hold that against her. It was an endearing quality……..Well, endearing in **her**. If anyone else exhibited such nosiness, he wasn't sure if he could take it.

"Well, you….."

"Me?" Madison asked. Nick closed his eyes, not sure if he wanted to reveal that much.

"You guys, I mean. I mean, me becoming a ranger and becoming close with all you guys sort of goes hand in hand. So……I guess………I don't know how I can answer your question,"

"I see," Madison said with a nod, accepting his answer. "So, does that mean that you might stick around after whenever we finally beat the Darkness?" She asked.

"Well, I guess……yeah," he said. He looked over at her. Her brown eyes stared at him with such interest and wonder, it was all he could do to not just stare into those eyes forever. "I mean…….I've kind of gotten used to sticking around. Its nice living with my sister………She's not too intrusive in my life or anything, you know, I've got my freedom. My grandparents were a little too…….."

"Parental?" Madison asked.

"Exactly," Nick said. Madison laughed.

"So, I guess Briarwood's home, to you, right?" She asked.

"Right," Nick said. "Nice house……..Good friends……..good job………fighting magical beings…" he said, making them both laugh.

"Well, its getting late, we should probably head out," she said, getting up from the couch.

"Right……..You want a ride home?" He asked.

"On your motorcycle?" She asked. She contemplated this for a bit before smiling brightly. "Sure, why not. I left my jacket in the backroom, let me just go get that," she said.

"All right," he said. Madison picked up her camera and disappeared into the backroom. Nick stared at the door separating the two of them. He slowly got up and walked towards it. "You're my home, Maddie," he whispered gently to the air. The door to the back room opened as Madison appeared. She walked over to him as she pulled on her jacket and stuffed her camera into her messenger bag. Nick put on a friendly smile and helped her pull her jacket up onto her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem, ready to go?" He asked. Madison nodded. He led the way out the door as the two of them shut off the lights in the store and locked the front door before walking to his bike. Nick climbed onto the vehicle first and griped the handlebars as he felt Madison put her hands on his shoulders as she climbed on behind him. As Nick started up his bike, he felt Madison's hands move from his shoulders and wrap around his waist.

"Nick," she whispered in his ear. "You're my home, too," she said before kissing his cheek. Nick blinked, surprised. He wasn't sure if he was more surprised to find out she had heard him, or because of what she had just said. Madison simply smiled and pressed her cheek against his back as the bike roared to life and took off.

END


	6. Reaction

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all characters therein belong to Disney.

Summary: Takes place after Heir Apparent pt. 2 (So, huge spoiler if you haven't seen the episode yet). Nick is dealing with all these new developments and Madison is there to help him.

Note: Another one of my longer chapters, heh. Enjoy.

Reaction

Madison sat on one of the logs in the mystic forest staring up at one of the leafy trees above her. She wasn't sure why she was sitting there. After the long day they all had had, the rangers decided they needed to go home and get some needed rest. Nick had stayed behind, still reeling from all the news he had received that day while Madison and the others left. Madison had gotten out of the forest with the others when she decided to turn back and see how Nick was doing. Xander, Chip and Vida had agreed that he might need his friends and wanted to stay as well, but their weariness won out and they just told Madison to tell Nick to call them if he needed them. So here she was, sitting in the forest and staring up at a tree and contemplating whether or not she should go into Rootcore.

It had rained in the forest a day before, meaning the trees had little droplets of water collecting on the leaves. Madison busied herself with focusing on the droplets, thinking some type of concentration would help her pass the time in case Nick was busy talking to Daggeron and Udonna and didn't want interruptions. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on the drops of water. She could see the drops of adjacent leaves floating together and making one very large drop on a leaf. She could see the silhouette of the drop under the leaf.

"Madison?" Asked a voice, making her break her concentration. Madison blinked and looked ahead of her. There Daggeron stood……right under the leaf. "Ugh!" Daggeron exclaimed, surprised, as the large drop of water fell from the tree and hit him directly.

"Daggeron!" Madison exclaimed. "I'm so sorry!" Daggeron put up a hand, silencing her as he patted the now wet shoulders of his tunic.

"It's all right," he said. "It's nice to see you practicing your powers," he said. Madison smiled at the praise. "So, what brings you to the forest? I thought you all had gone to your homes." He said.

"Well, we were……I mean….the others left, I just……Thought I'd stick around," she said. Daggeron nodded, understanding why she was there. "Where are you off to?" She asked.

"Just going to feed Fireheart," he told her. Madison tilted her head to the side.

"I thought Phineas and Clare took care of feeding him," she said. Daggeron sighed.

"All right, I just wanted to give Nick and Udonna some privacy," he said. "So, I figured I'd just give our little dragon a snack to bide the time," he said.

"Oh," Madison said. The two of them said their goodbyes before Daggeron continued on his way. Madison sat back on the log and blew out a breath, flapping her lips as the air expelled out of her. She sat there for a while lost in thought. She only realized she had been sitting there for over an hour when she caught sight of the sun start to set between the trees. She sighed, "what am I doing here?" She asked herself out loud. "Nick needs to spend time with Udonna. I should just go," she said as she stood up.

"Maddie?" Came a voice. Madison turned to see Nick standing there.

"Nick, hey," she smiled.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. Madison scrunched up her face, feeling a little embarrassed that she had been sitting for over an hour waiting for him.

"Just, thought you might need a friend right now.." she said. Nick looked down.

"Why, because my _father_ is gone?" He asked. Madison could hear the slight bit of venom in his tone at the mention of his father.

"Well……I……..Just thought you'd want to talk about it," Madison said.

"Well, I don't!" He snapped, causing Madison to step back. Nick had never been so harsh to her. Even when he was calling her shy and teasing her, his tone was still light and fun loving.

"I'm sorry…." She said. "I……I should go," she said. She turned around and walked away quickly, feeling hurt.

----

Later that night, Madison and Vida were sitting in their room and talking before going to sleep for the night.

"So, did you talk to Nick?" Vida asked. Madison shook his head.

"No, I ran into Daggeron outside of Rootcore and he said that Nick and Udonna needed some time alone, so I just left," she lied.

"Oh," Vida said. She sat back on her bed, resting her back against the headboard. "I just can't believe Nick's Udonna's son………it's just……..crazy….."

"Yeah," she said. Madison yawned slightly. "I'm exhausted," she said.

"Yeah, me too," Vida said. The two sisters said their goodnights and shut the lights off in their room before climbing into their respective beds. Vida fell asleep rather quickly, her breathing slowly no more than ten minutes after her head hit the pillow. Madison, on the other hand, wasn't having such an easy time. She was still thinking about Nick snapping her before. She understood that he was going through a lot and his harshness wasn't about her. He would've snapped at Xander, Vida or Chip just the same if they had been there instead of her. But that didn't seem to take away the hurt.

Madison sighed as she turned to her side, thinking a change in position would ease her into slumber, but it didn't. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, her eyes scanning over the plaster-colored paint coating it as she thought about Nick and the day's events. Her mind was soon pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of something hitting her window. Madison cast a look at her sister to see if she had woken up, but Vida simply turned on her side in her sleep, snuggling deeper into her dark pink comforter. Madison shrugged to herself and simply disregarded the noise. It happened again. Madison slowly got up from her bed and walked over to the window, pulling the violet curtains aside and jumping back as something that looked like a pebble was hurled at the window. She frowned and quickly opened the window. "If those annoying Lewis kids are playing pranks again, I swear I'll……." She whispered to herself as she looked down to see who the culprit was. "Nick?" She asked, surprise to see his leather jacket clad figure on her lawn. He didn't say a word as he simply stared intently up at her. Madison bit her lip and leaned forward out the window. "Backdoor," she whispered to him before leaning back and closing the window. She quickly ran her hands over her head, flattening down any fly away hairs before walking to the door.

"Bathrobe," came Vida's muttered voice. Madison paused and looked at her sister, who was simply lying in her bed with her eyes closed. Madison shook her head, having no doubt that Vida must've woken up when the window opened. She looked down at herself, realizing the blue satin pants and white cotton tank top she had worn to bed were not suitable to go out in. She grabbed her blue bathrobe from the back of her desk chair and slid it on as she again made her way to the door. "Slippers," Vida muttered again. Madison rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, Vida," she hissed out as she slid her feet into her slippers. "Anything else?"

"Have fun," Vida muttered in a sing song voice. Madison shook her head and quickly left the room and went downstairs, careful not to cause any noise that might awake her parents. As much as Vida might be understanding about a boy coming to the window in the middle of the nights, her parents would probably feel differently. Madison quietly crept through the dark kitchen before she reached the backdoor. She slowly opened it, wincing every time it creaked and pausing, wondering if it woke her parents up. After seeing she was safe, she slowly slid out the door and closed it behind her. She stepped out onto the back porch, holding her robe closed by hugging her arms around her torso. She looked around and saw Nick standing in the backyard, waiting for her. Madison padded over to him.

"What's up?" She asked. Nick simply pulled her close, hugging her tightly. This action shocked her, but she just slowly put her arms around him as he nestled his head on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered to her. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you," he said. Madison closed her eyes and inhaled the smell of his leather jacket.

"It's okay," she said. Nick held her tighter as his breath hitched against her neck.

"He's gone," he said.

"Who? Who's gone?" Madison asked, worried that something had happened to Daggeron, Phineas, or any other of their friends.

"My father," he said, sobbing softly. "I………I just found him and he's gone……" Madison sighed. Nick had been so quick to deny Leanbow as his father before, even focusing more on the fact that Leanbow and Koragg had been one in the same, and now he was crying. Madison tightened her hold on him, understanding that his delayed reaction was to be expected, after all the things that had happened that day.

"Here, let's go sit down," she told him, letting him go. Nick released her numbly and let Madison take hold of his hand and lead him to the set of furniture that was set up in the backyard. She led him to the wide wicker bench and sat down with him. Nick leaned towards her, his head resting on her lap. Madison set one of her arms under his shoulders and held him across his chest while her other hand gently stroked his face and hair.

"I don't……….." He whispered, his voice trailing into sobs as he put a hand on her leg, needing to feel as much contact as he could. "……..He was our enemy………….I don't understand…………why………"

"Shh, shhh," she soothed. Her heart ached for him. A part of him still saw Leanbow as Koragg, but there was also the part that saw Leanbow as his father, and those two sides were making him feel hurt and confused. Her fingers trailed delicately up and down the side of his face before tenderly petting his hair. "It's okay, just let it out," she encouraged as she gently rocked him back and forth.

"She's so sure we'll find him……" he whispered. "She says that she believes in magic…………but I can't………stop feeling like………..like he's never coming back," Madison lowered her head to his as she held him tighter.

"We'll find him," she assured him. Her dark hair swept off her shoulders and layered against his skin as she continued to rock him. The two stayed like that for a while as Nick continued to cry. Eventually, his tears and sobs died away and he merely laid in her arms, taking comfort from her embrace. He slowly sat up, making Madison do the same. Madison reached up and wiped away some of the tear tracks from his cheeks. "Feel better?" She asked. Nick nodded against her palm before reaching up and holding her hand against his cheek, not wanting to let go of her warmth.

"A little, thanks," he said. He took her hand off of his cheek and held it, interlacing their fingers before placing their joined hands on his lap. Madison couldn't help feel a little giddy at the feel of his thumb sliding against the back of her palm. _Don't go getting any ideas,_ she mentally scolded herself. _He just needs some comfort right now, it's not like he's going to ask you out or something. But……if he just wanted comfort……..he could've gone to one of the guys or something……._ She just shook her head, banishing those thoughts for another time.

"So, how are you feeling about everything else?" She asked, indicating that she was referring to the news that indicated that Udonna was his mother. Nick bit his lip and looked out at the night sky.

"I don't know," he said. "I mean……..I'm happy that I finally know who my real parents are but……..I never imagined it'd be something like this," he smiled softly. "Mom's overjoyed," he said. "She's already falling into the whole motherly thing with me,"

"You're calling her mom," Madison stated, not really a question, more an observation. Nick nodded.

"It just……feels like I should. Like, its not forced or anything…I mean…….She's my mom…….It just feels unnatural to call her 'Udonna' now," he said. Madison smiled and squeezed his hand affectionately.

"It's nice," she said.

"I'm already doing chores around Rootcore," he said, laughing a bit, causing Madison to giggle.

"She's making up for lost mom nagging time, huh?" She asked.

"Looks like it," Nick said. Madison rested her head against his shoulder.

"Have you talked to Clare?" She asked.

"Clare?" Nick asked. Madison tilted her head against his shoulder and looked at him.

"Well, she's your cousin, isn't she?" She asked. Nick shook his head and chuckled a bit as that realization dawned on him.

"I'm just finding family all over the place today, aren't I?" He asked. "If Daggeron turns out to be dear uncle Daggie, I think my head will explode," he said. Madison giggled again.

"I think he's just a good family friend," she assured him. "But, you never know." Nick laughed.

"I haven't talked to her yet…….She's got to be going though some stuff now too. I mean, it wasn't that long ago that she found out Udonna was her aunt……Now I'm her cousin……" Madison gave his hand another squeeze.

"You guys can get thought this together," she said. Nick sighed.

"I just……….It feels like the day my parents………I mean……….my…….**other** parents……..told me I was adopted," he said. "I mean, I kind of always had a feeling that there was something different about us………I mean, being me among my parents and sister who all have blonde hair and fair skin did kind of tip me off………but I just thought I was a genetic anomaly or something………"

"How old were you when they told you?" Madison asked.

"Eight," Nick told her. He blinked. "What am I supposed to call them now? I mean……before they were just my family, they're the only family I ever knew. I mean, no matter how old I got and what things I learned in life, I always knew I was Nick Russell. Now? Now I'm Bowen………It's all a little mind blowing. I don't even know who I am…And what about me being some powerful wizard? What, am I some type of prince or knight or something?." He asked. Madison gave his had a tighter and longer squeeze, cutting off his rant.

"You're you," she said. "You can be Nick, or Bowen, both, neither, whatever. No matter what, you're still you," she told him.

"My mom…….uh…..my real mom, she's started calling me Bowen. I think she's just so happy to know that she found me, she just likes to know she can call someone that now."

"Do you want the rest of us to start calling you that?" Madison asked. Nick shrugged.

"I really don't know yet," he said. Madison covered her mouth as a yawn escaped. Nick looked down at her. "But, I don't need to figure it out tonight, I guess," he said. "Its late, I should go," he said.

"Oh, okay," Madison said as the two stood up. Nick kept a hold on her hand as she walked him to where he had parked his motorcycle. Nick stopped in front of his bike and turned to face Madison.

"Thanks, Maddie," he said. He pulled her into a hug. Madison smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. They hugged for a little while before slowly pulling apart.

"No thanks needed," Madison told him. Nick looked into her eyes and smiled before leaning in and planting a soft and sweet kiss on her lips. Madison stared at him with wide eyes as he turned and mounted his bike. Madison slowly touched her fingertips to her lips before pursing her lips together. She looked at Nick as he went to put his helmet. "Hey, Nick?" She asked, making him stop with his helmet by his chest.

"Yeah?"

"So, do the rest of us need to bow and curtsy in your presence from now on?" She teased. Nick laughed lightly and shook his head and put his helmet on. Madison watched as he carefully turned on his bike, trying not to make too much noise. The bike seemed to merely purr as it came to life and Nick rode ahead of him a few feet so he could turn the bike the other way. As he rode past Madison, she gave him a small wave and watched him ride off before quietly getting back into the house through the backdoor. She walked up the stairs and walked into her room, stepping out of her slippers and tossing her robe over her desk chair. She slowly climbed into bed and pulled her covers up under her chin, ready to fall asleep. That hope was dashed when the bedside lamp was clicked on to reveal Vida lying on her bed, facing Madison as she was supported by her elbow.

"Well?" She asked, expecting to hear all about Madison and Nick's late night rendezvous.

END


	7. Secrets

Summary: Madison has always been a responsible girl. She's always there for her friends and is a good student. But, sometimes even good girls need to have some fun.

Note: Can fall into any point in the series so far. There isn't really any connection to any previous stories. I guess it'd be after Long Ago since there is mention of Daggeron.

Secrets

"See you in Math," Vida said to her sister as they entered the school building together after parking the car in the school's parking lot.

"Okay, good luck on your French mid-term," Madison replied. Vida groaned and made her way to French class as Madison made her way to her locker to get her books for the day. She turned the combination on her locker and clicked it open before opening the metal door. As she began to grab her textbook, she saw a folded up piece of paper fall to the floor. "What's this?" She asked herself before bending down to pick it up. She opened up the paper and read over the contents, smiling brightly:

_**I miss you.**_

Madison giggled slightly to herself before folding up the paper and putting it in the back pocket of her jeans.

"Hey Maddie," came a voice. Madison shut her locker and saw Xander standing there, leaning against the locker next to hers.

"Hey Xander," she replied.

"Heading over to History?" He asked. Madison laughed.

"No, actually I thought about cutting class today. My perfect attendance record be damned," she joked. Xander laughed and the two friends walked to class together. "So, how are things going?" She asked as they took their seats before class started. Xander groaned.

"I'm trying to get Leslie Burket to go with me to the dance on Friday,"

"And?" Madison asked. Xander shook his head.

"Trying is the operative word," he said.

"Aw, you mean to say Plan Xander isn't working anymore?" Madison teased her friend. Xander gave her a mean look. His reply was cut off by their teacher walking into the room and starting class. Madison diligently took notes during the lecture as she always did. After that class ended she said her goodbyes to Xander before going to English where she met up with Chip. "Hey Chip," she greeted him as she took her seat next to his.

"Hey Madison," he replied. "Hey, do you have the notes from yesterday?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Could I copy them? I kind of……..don't have mine…….Wasn't really paying attention in class yesterday," he admitted sheepishly. Madison shook her head good naturely before handing him her notebook so he could copy her notes. "Thanks," he said.

"So, what fantasy game were you thinking about this time?" She asked. Chip shook his head as he began to copy the notes into his own notebook.

"No game. Daggeron's starting to show me ways to improve my archery, I was just thinking about that," he said. Madison smiled at her red haired friend. Chip returned the notebook to her once the class started and Madison promised to let him borrow it later so he could finish copying the notes. After class, the two walked out into the hall together and caught sight of Vida coming towards them.

"Hey guys," she said.

"Hey, V," Chip replied.

"How'd the test go?" Madison asked. Vida gave her sister the biggest smile ever.

"I'm pretty sure I aced it," she said. Madison returned her sister's smile.

"That's great, sis!" She said as she gave Vida a congratulatory hug.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you sis. Thanks so much for helping me study," Vida said. Madison waved off the praise.

"It's no big deal. I had Madame Coulet last semester," she said. "So, what class do you guys have now?"

"Science," both Chip and Vida said at the same time with a joint groan. Madison laughed a bit.

"Have fun," she joked. Chip and Vida rolled their eyes and went their own way as Madison walked towards the Library for her study period. She entered the library and found an empty table to sit at. She pulled out her textbooks and notebooks and began to study. Some time later, she was so engrossed in reading the assignment for her English class that she almost yelped in shock when a piece of yellow lined paper was slid onto the pages of her book. Madison sat back a little startled before looking up. She caught sight of someone putting a book on a nearby shelf before disappearing around it. She looked down at the paper that had interrupted her reading and couldn't help grin from ear to ear:

_**Janitor's closet**_

_**Lunchtime**_

_**I'll be waiting**_

"Madison?" Madison looked up, startled by the voice and saw Leslie Burket standing at her table. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you,"

"No, that's okay," Madison said. Leslie took a seat across from Madison at the table.

"So, uh…….How did you do on the Spanish quiz last Friday?" She asked.

"95," Madison sighed. "I keep forgetting the proper use for _vosotros_,"

"95 is still good," Leslie said.

"I guess," Madison said. "How did you do?"

"Well……97," she said. Madison tried her best to hide her shock and disappointment. "Sorry," Leslie said.

"No, no, it's okay," Madison said.

"Are you sure?" Leslie asked. Madison nodded. "Good, because, well……I'd hate for you to be upset with me, especially with what I'm about to ask,"

"What is it?" Madison asked.

"Well……..You're friends with Xander, right?" She asked. Madison gave the girl a sort of 'ah' expression before nodding. "Is he……well…….is he a nice guy?"

"Yeah, Xander's great," Madison said.

"I know he's nice and friendly, I just…." Leslie's voice trailed off. "Well, he's got a certain reputation, of well……..going out with a lot of girls and……"

"Xander's not like those types of guys," Madison assured her. "He just hasn't found the right girl to be serious with yet,"

"Oh," Leslie said as she processed this. "But…..is he the type to……just see girls like……ya know…."

"He's one of the most respectful guys I know," Madison said. Leslie smiled.

"Oh, okay," Leslie said. "Thanks," she said before getting up and going back to her own table. Madison smiled slightly to herself. _Xander'll thank me later,_ she thought to herself before remembering the piece pf paper still lying before her. She carefully folded it up and put it in her back pocket along with the note from her locker and stood up, walking over to one of the bookshelves and peering around it. She frowned when she saw it was empty before sitting back down, unable to get back to reading her book. The rest of her study period and her following class seemed to go on forever as she kept checking the clock anxiously. Vida peered curiously at her sister's odd behavior. Usually, Madison's head would snap from her notebook to the chalkboard and back again as she scribbled down notes, but today, her pen wasn't even in her hand as she kept looking at the clock. Madison nearly bolted out of the classroom when the class ended.

"Whoa, Maddie, slow down," Vida said. "Where's the fire?"

"Huh? Oh sorry, just…..uh……guess my mind's elsewhere," she said. She reached into her book bag and handed Vida a notebook. "Give this to Chip when you see him, I promised I'd let him copy my notes," she said as the girls left the room.

"Why don't you give them to him yourself? We've got lunch next," Vida said.

"I'm not going to lunch. I've got an uh………..I need to go to the library to finish my Spanish homework," she said as she began jogging down the hall. Vida watched her sister leave with a perplexed expression.

"Since when does she not finish her homework in one sitting?" She asked her self. She shrugged and made her way to the lunchroom. She sat with Xander and Chip. The three of them sat with their trays and noted the absence of two of their friends.

"Where's Maddie?" Xander asked. Vida opened her mouth to respond before Xander became distracted by Leslie waving him over from a nearby table. "Gotta go," he said, quickly going over. Vida chuckled and shook her head. She looked over at Chip and handed him Madison's notebook.

"Here, Maddie told me to give this to you," she said.

"Thanks," Chip said her before taking it and taking his own notebook out. He resumed copying Madison's notes as Vida ate her lunch.

"So, where's Nick, anyway?" Vida asked.

"He said he had to go to the autoshop room to talk to Mr. Banks about where he could get some part for his bike," Chip said. "He was in a real hurry after class."

"Oh," Vida said. She thoughtfully munched on a french fry. "Am I the only one who's noticed Madison and Nick acting weird lately?"

"What do you mean?" Chip asked.

"Well, I don't know. They're both just acting so weird and secretive lately," Chip cast her a look. "……I mean more secretive than usual," Vida said, understanding that they all had to be somewhat secretive around Toby and other people. Chip shrugged before giving her a grin.

"Maybe they're having a secret affair and are off making out somewhere as we speak," Chip joked. Vida rolled her eyes and threw a french fry at him.

"Very funny," she said. Chip laughed before plucking the fry off his notebook and popping it in his mouth.

Elsewhere, down the hall, Madison came to a halt by the janitor's closet. She nonchalantly looked through her bag as she waited for the hallway to clear. Once everyone had left, she crept over to the door and slowly opened the door, casting a look around her as she walked in and closed the door behind her. The second she was in there, she felt a gentle hand take hold of her arm and turn her around before lips brushed against hers. Madison smiled as her arms came around her companion's neck.

"I missed you," he whispered against her lips.

"I know, saw your first note," she said, giggling softly as he kissed her neck. "I missed you too," she said, her hands roaming over his shoulders. It had been three weeks since the two of them had gotten together. They had decided to keep it to themselves for a short while, knowing the others wouldn't give them a moment's peace with their constant teasing. It had been intended to just be a week but the two realized they were just having too much fun sneaking around to end it. His lips came back to hers and he kissed her hotly.

"Did you have any trouble getting away?" He asked between kisses as he pressed her up against the wall.

"Vida might have been a little suspicious, but nothing too major, you?" She asked, her lips seeking home on his again.

"Same with the guys," he said. He laughed gently against her lips. "They couldn't get why I was taking such a quick shower after Gym," Madison giggled. Her fingers tangled into his still wet hair, seeing that he had barely had time to completely dry off.

"So, Nick," Madison said, moaning gently as his lips became attached to her neck again. "Are we going to the dance on Friday?"

---

END


	8. Why?

Summary: Nick thinks about Madison shielding him from Oculous

Note: Takes place after the events in "The Hunter".

Why?

_Her body slumps against his body for merely a second before she falls to the side._

"_Maddie!" He screamed. She's gone._

"Maddie!" Nick gasped, sitting up in bed, panting frantically as he awoke from his nightmare. He blinked and looked around the room as reality sank into his senses. "It was just a dream," he told himself. No, it wasn't just a dream. It had actually happened. He had lost Madison along with his other friends. Granted, it was for just a brief period of time, but it still seemed to haunt his mind. He sighed and laid back in bed, forcing himself to think about more pleasant things.

---

"So, how long do you think this is going to last?" Nick blinked and looked at Vida, who was standing right in front of him. He was leaning against the counter at the store, staring off into the distance, his eyes seeming to focus solely on his long haired co-worker as she walked about the store sorting things out.

"Huh?" He asked.

"How long do you think this is going to last?" Vida asked.

"How long do I think what is going to last?" Nick asked. Vida tilted her head.

"This whole thing with Leelee," she said, gesturing to the blonde across the room, sweeping the floor. "Its like Chip said, she's trying to infiltrate the group. How long do you think it'll be before she just gives up?"

"Uh…….I don't know," Nick said. Vida looked at him.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "You seem spaced out today," she said. Nick shrugged.

"Just tired, I guess," he said. That moment, Madison approached them.

"Hey, sis, Toby's eye's doing that twitchy thing, I think he wants you to go play some music," she said. Vida groaned and nodded as she left to go to her beloved turntables, leaving Nick and Madison alone at the counter. Madison gave him a smile. "Hey," she said. Nick stared at her for a long moment before he realized he should respond.

"Hey," he said. Madison tilted her head to the side. It always seemed to amuse him when she did that. Madison and Vida didn't have much of a family resemblance when it came to looks, other than their dark eyes and dark hair, but their slight mannerisms mirrored each other's in such a way that it left no question as to whether they were related.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Nick nodded.

"Yeah, just had trouble sleeping last night," he said. He paused, debating whether to tell her of his dream. He decided he should just tell her. "I had a dream last night……about yesterday," he said.

"Oh," Madison said. "Well, yesterday was pretty a hectic day," she said, understanding the events must've plagued his thoughts. "You getting hurt, all of us……well……disintegrating…." She said.

"Yeah," Nick said. "I……I kept seeing that……." He said. He closed his eyes. "I kept seeing…….you……disintegrating," he admitted. Madison's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh," she said. Nick opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Yeah," he said. "I kept seeing you shoving Chip out of the way and shielding me from…." His voice trailed off. "Why'd you do it, Maddie?" He asked. Madison blinked; surprised he'd ask such a thing.

"What do you mean, why? We had to keep you safe, besides, you're my friend, of course I wouldn't just let you get hurt," she said.

"Yeah, but Oculous had fired at the others with just the intention of making them……..disappear……..He was aiming at me. That blast could've been……I don't know, set to kill or something. You could've….." he paused, not wanting to entertain that thought in his mind.

"So, would you have rather I just stand back and let him get you?" Madison asked.

"I just…….didn't like seeing you hurt," Nick said, looking down. He stood up from the counter and walked out from behind it, making his way to the backroom. Madison followed. She entered the room and saw him facing the wall, his back to her. Madison quietly closed the door behind her and stood there, waiting for him to speak. "Don't ever do that again," he said, his voice so quiet Madison had to strain to hear her.

"Don't do what again?" She asked. Nick looked at his shoulder, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Don't ever get hurt like that again……because of me," he said. Madison slowly walked over to him.

"Nick?" She asked. Nick turned to face her. His expression was hard to read for Madison. He looked sad and angry, yet relived and happy at the same time.

"Just don't, okay?" He asked.

"Why?" Madison asked. Nick sighed and looked down.

"Because it hurts too much," he whispered. Madison shook her head, not understanding what he was trying to say. "When Xander and Vida were hit……I was sad, of course. Two of my good friends disappeared right before my eyes……but……"

"But?" Madison asked.

"It was different with you," he said.

"Why?" She asked.

"It……..it felt like I had been hit," he admitted. "It felt like I was losing you forever and that thought alone made me wish Oculous had hit me," he went out. "When you hit the ground and………disappeared………..you might as well have taken my arm with you or something. It felt like a piece of me was missing," he said. Madison reached down and gently put two of her fingers under his chin, raising his face up so he'd look at her. Nick could see something in her eyes. He wasn't sure what it was…….Was it hope? Happiness?

"Why?" She asked.

"Because….." he began, his voice barely a whisper.

"Because, why?" Madison asked again, her eyes shining.

"Because I………..I love you, Madison," he finally said. Madison closed her eyes, smiling. She opened her eyes and looked at him, closing the space between them as she brushed her lips against his in a feather light kiss. Nick quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer and deepening the kiss. Madison responded happily to his initiative as her hands went on his shoulders.

"That's your answer," she whispered against his lips once the kiss had ended.

"What?" He asked, opening his eyes. They were met with her large beautiful dark eyes.

"Why I had to save you," she said.

"Why?" Nick asked. Madison gave him a look at how much that single word had come up in their conversation.

"Because I love you too," she said. "And I would've died if something ever happened to you," she said. Nick swallowed hard, his heart quickening as he heard her words.

"Maddie," he said. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say, he just felt he needed to speak her name, as if saying her name would prove to him this wasn't a dream. Madison smiled at him and hugged him close, laying her head against his shoulder. "I've loved you since the day I met you," he said as he felt her breath against his neck. Madison kissed his pulse point gently before lifting her head again. She gave him a smile that reached her ears.

"Why?" She asked, jokingly. Nick laughed and pulled her in for another kiss, silencing her laughter.


	9. Gift

Summary: It's the Rocca sisters' birthday and what better place to celebrate than Rootcore?

Note: Takes place after Heir Apparent but before The Light. Nick refers to Udonna as his mother but Udonna hasn't gone off in search of Leanbow yet.

2nd note: To avoid confusion---this is **not** connected to the previous chapter.

Gift

Vida and Madison tried their best to hide their joint cringes as Phineas handed them each a questionably looking…….not to mention smelling……..pouch.

"Here ya go, girls, happy birthday," Phineas said.

"Uh, thanks……" Vida said as Madison swatted at a fly circling her pouch.

"What……what exactly are in these?" Madison asked.

"A specialty made paste by yours truly," Phineas said. "It's rather tasty, if I say so myself," he said, giving the girls a wink. Madison and Vida looked at each other before looking back at him and giving him a pair of tight lipped smiles.

"What's in it?" Vida asked, taking the pouch Phineas was handing her and gingerly taking a whiff of the object. She quickly wished she hadn't. Madison saw her sister's reaction to the scent and gingerly held hers out, away from her nose.

"Oh, just some stickle berries, mashed up beetle shells and some other stuff," Phineas said, shrugging. Nick, Xander and Chip, who were standing near the other three outside of Rootcore watched on, curious.

"What other stuff?" Xander asked. Phineas looked off as he tried to remember the ingredients of his creations.

"Hmmm, horse hair, ogre sweat and rabbit mucus," he said. Vida and Madison stared at each other with disgust before quickly tossing their pouches over their shoulders before Phineas turned back to them.

"Thanks Phineas," Madison said, giving him a large smile. "That was very sweat…..I mean, sweet….of you,"

"Uh huh," Vida said. Phineas smiled.

"Aw, come here!" He said. He grabbed both girls into a huge hug, crushing them to him. Madison and Vida good naturedly patted his shoulders until he let them go. "Well, I better be off. Need to find some more stickle berries and beetles. Making gifts sure does build up an appetite," he said as he wandered off.

"Thanks again," Madison called after the Troblin. Once everyone was sure he was out of ear shot, Vida gave an audible shudder as she wiped her hands on the pants of her mystic uniform, her sister following suit.

"That was nasty," Vida said.

"What did he mean by rabbit mucus, anyway?" Madison asked.

"Let's hope he just met a bunny with a cold," Xander said. Madison and Vida nodded.

"Come on," Nick said. "Mom's waiting for us," he said.

"I wonder what could be wrong," Madison asked. They all had been working at Rockporium when Nick told them they had to go to Rootcore and it was important.

"I really hope we don't have to fight evil on our birthday," Vida groaned.

"Come on," Chip said. Madison and Vida walked ahead of the guys into the dragon's mouth. Chip, Xander and Nick stayed behind and looked at each other.

"Man, are they going to be surprised," Xander said, smiling as they followed the girls. As they entered the main room of Rootcore, Madison and Vida gasped at what they saw. The entire room was done up in pink and blue streamers and balloons. Some balloons were tied to the banister and tables in the room and some were floating delicately in the room.

"Surprise!" Clare called out, causing the sisters to look ahead of them. They laughed at the sight. There was Clare, standing by the crystal ball with a party hat on her head and a noise maker in her mouth that she blew at, extending the purple ribbon attached to the device. Udonna and Daggeron stood on either side of the blonde girl, giving Madison and Vida warm smiles.

"Happy birthday, girls," Daggeron said, smiling at them. Madison and Vida stared at what was in front of them with surprised smiles.

"Oh my gosh," Madison gushed. Udonna went over to them and gave both girls a hug. Nick, Xander and Chip each patted the girls' shoulders before they all entered the room and began the festivities. Clare excitedly put party hats on Madison and Vida's heads as the guys, deciding to play along, put hats on themselves as well. The low key and intimate gathering began as everyone drank plum nectar and sat together at the large table, talking between bites of food.

"I can't believe you guys did this," Vida said to Xander and Chip.

"Don't look at us," Chip said. "It was Nick's idea." Both girls looked at the friend in question, who was blushing slightly at being found out.

"It was?" Madison asked.

"Well, I just figured what better place to celebrate than here?" Nick asked. Udonna smiled and put a hand on her son's shoulder.

"Thanks, Nick," Vida said. The party went on as Chip and Xander gave the girls their birthday presents. Chip and Xander gave Vida a pair of brand new headphones from the both of them, seeing as neither of them would've been able to afford it on their own. The two boys also went half-way on Madison's present-a book, a biography on her favorite filmmaker. Udonna, Daggeron and Clare gave each of the girls' clay vases that Udonna had made and Clare had painted. Daggeron, somewhat at a lost on what gift to get the girls, had been allowed to help Udonna and Clare with the vases. The girls were happily looking at their gifts when Vida realized there was something missing. "Hey, Nick, what about your present?" She joked.

"Vida," Madison chastised. "The whole party was his idea," she said.

"I was just kidding," Vida said.

"Uh, actually, I did get you guys something," he said. He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a folded envelope. He handed it to Vida, who quickly opened it. She gasped happily at the contents.

"Two tickets to go see DJ Razz in Reefside!" She exclaimed. She had been trying to get tickets to her favorite DJ's show but they had been sold out. "Oh my gosh, this is so great! Thanks Nick!" Madison frowned slightly. _That's his present to both of us? Something that Vida likes? I don't listen to DJ Razz…………..Okay, okay, don't get upset. Its like you said, Nick planned the party. That should be enough……Right?_ Madison quickly put on a false smile.

"Yeah, thanks Nick," she said.

----

Madison sighed as she wandered outside of Rootcore. She still felt somewhat disappointed about Nick's present, even though she was trying her hardest to be thankful. She had told the others she wanted some fresh air and left the base, hoping a nice walk would make her feel better.

"Maddie?" Madison turned to see Nick coming out of Rootcore.

"Hey," she said.

"Is everything okay?" He asked as he approached her.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted some fresh air," she said.

"Are you sure?" He asked. Madison nodded. Nick rocked back and forth on his feet before looking around him. He then stopped and looked at Madison before pulling something out of his pocket. "Here," he said, handing her a small velvet handkerchief that was wrapped around something. Madison looked at it, puzzled.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Your present," he replied.

"Oh…." Madison said. "I thought…the tickets….."

"I just…" Nick began, his voice trailing off a bit, slightly embarrassed. "I just didn't want to give this to you in front of everyone," he admitted.

"Oh," Madison said. She carefully opened up the handkerchief and gasped at what she saw. In her hand lay a silver locket decorated with blue sapphires on a silver chain. "Oh…..wow…." she said.

"It was my grandmother's," he said. "Well………I mean my adoptive………you know what I mean," he said.

"Yeah," Madison said, still mesmerized by the necklace in her hand.

"She gave it to me right before I left my grandparents' place and came here," he said. "My grandfather gave it to her when they were younger and she gave it to me. She said I should give to a special girl," he said, smiling sheepishly. Madison slowly looked up at him.

"I……………Oh……" she breathed out, understanding what he was trying to say. Nick's smile slowly disappeared.

"Oh," he said. "I'm sorry…….I……."

"No, no," Madison said, quickly, realizing he had gotten the wrong idea. "I like it," she said, smiling.

"Really?" He asked. Madison nodded. Nick smiled. "Good….great…" he said. He reached over to her hand and took the necklace from her as he got behind her. Madison's smile widened as she moved her hair out of the way. Nick placed the necklace around her neck and clasped it, putting a hand on her shoulder when he was done. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on the side of her cheek. "Happy birthday, Madison," he said before taking her hand in his as they walked back into Rootcore together.

END


	10. Let Me Tell You A Story

Summary: A little girl is told a bedtime story.

Note: To avoid confusion---this is **not** connected to the previous chapter.

Let Me Tell You A Story

"Mommy," the little girl said as she sat up in her bed as her mother was busy trying to tuck her in for the night. "Tell me a story," she begged.

"Honey, its already way past your bedtime," the girl's mother sighed.

"Please?" She pleaded, staring up at her with her big eyes, eyes like her father's. The woman sighed and nodded, relenting to her daughter's innocent face.

"All right, all right. One story, and then its off to dreamland for you, understand?" She asked. The girl nodded and laid back in her bed, settling in as her mother pulled up a chair to the bed. "Okay, what story do you want to hear tonight?" The girl scrunched up her face as she thought about that for a second before smiling widely.

"The one about the Prince and the Maiden," she said excitedly. The woman smiled and nodded.

"All right," she said. She took a deep breath. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden who lived in a peaceful land with her friends. Everything was perfect in her life. She was genuinely happy. But, one day there was an unexpected earthquake,"

"Do the earthquake, mommy!" The girl exclaimed. The woman laughed.

"One day," she said as she put her hands on her daughter's bed. "There was a terrible earthquake!" She said as she pushed up and down on the bed, making it tremble and shake, causing her daughter to giggle. "Now, as I was saying," she said as she sat back in the chair. "What the maiden and her friends didn't know is that the earthquake made a little crack in a magical door. This crack allowed bad people to come onto the peaceful magical land."

"Mommy, you forgot about the prince," the little girl protested.

"I'm getting there," the woman said. "Soon after the earthquake, the maiden and her friends met a handsome young man," the woman said, continuing her story. "He was brave and kind. He was willing to face uncertain danger to help a complete stranger. The maiden and her friends joined the young man. They went to the forest and met a magical queen who told them they were chosen to protect the peaceful land from the bad people. They used magic to fight the things that wanted to hurt the peaceful land. As time went on, the maiden and the young man grew to like each other. She was there for him when he discovered that he was the son of the magical queen and her husband, who had been whisked away by the bad people. She always knew there was something special about the young prince. Not to long after that, the magical king, queen and prince were together again and worked even harder to protect the peaceful land with the help of the maiden and her friends,"

"And they got married," the little girl said excitedly. The woman laughed softly as her daughter went to her favorite part in the story.

"Yes, the maiden and the prince got married," the woman said. "The king, queen, and their friends, along with creatures of the magical land were there for the most wonderful wedding anyone had ever seen. Everyone was so happy to see them get married, everyone knew how much they loved each other." The little girl smiled as she settled deeper under her covers. She always seemed to fall asleep around that part of the story, not hearing the end. The woman looked up at her daughter and saw that she was still awake. The woman looked down. She could never tell the end of the story without feeling sad. "One day," she began. "There was a big, big battle as the king, queen, prince, the maiden and all their friends fought the bad people. Everyone fought against the bad people. In the end, the king knew he had to try and seal the bad people behind a door like he did years before. But the prince knew that the king could get taken away just like he had been before," the little girl listened intently to the story, as she had never heard this part before. The woman bit her lip as she felt tears collecting in her eyes. "The prince didn't want his mother and father to be separated again, so he fought against the leader of the bad people all alone," the woman paused as tears slid down.

"Mommy?" The little girl asked with a frown. The woman wiped at her eyes and looked up at her daughter. "What happened to the prince?" She asked, worried. The woman looked back down and took a deep breath.

"The maiden saw that the prince couldn't fight all alone, so she went to help him. The others tried to fight with them," her chin trembled a bit as she held back her tears. "But they had to protect the people of the land from the other bad people."

"Did the prince and the maiden get rid of the bad guy?" The little girl asked. The woman nodded silently.

"Yeah. They got rid of all the bad people," she said. A tear leaked out of her eye.

"Why are you crying, mommy?"

"Its nothing, baby," the woman said. "I just……the story always makes me cry," she said.

"Did they all live happily ever after?" The little girl asked. The woman paused as she played the rest of the story in her mind. Some did live happily ever after……….or as happily as they could………

"Yeah," she said. "They all lived happily ever after," she said. The little girl smiled.

"Goodnight, mommy," she said as she settled deep into her covers. The woman smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," she responded. She got up from her chair and shut the light off in the room on her way out the room, shutting the door behind her. As soon as she was out of the room, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, letting her tears fall freely. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder pull her from the wall into a hug.

"She wanted to hear that story again, didn't she?" A voice whispered in her ear. The woman nodded and sobbed against her husband's shoulder. Her husband gently pulled out of the hug and took her hand in his as he lead her to the living room couch. He sat her down before he himself sat down next to her. She leaned against his body as he held her, letting her cry. Eventually, her tears subsided.

"I just miss her so much," she finally said. "I miss them both,"

"I know, Vida," her husband said. "We all miss them," he said. Vida sighed and sat up, wiping at her cheeks.

"I know its been years since….." her voice trailed off. "I just…….I keep thinking…….maybe……maybe if we had been there to help them……..maybe if we hadn't been so busy fighting Necrolai and…..maybe…" her voice trailed off again as she looked off to the distance. "Hannah looks more and more like her aunt every day," she whispered. Her husband put an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, she does," he said. Vida curled her legs under herself on the couch and leaned her head on his shoulders.

"Chip, do you think they're okay?" She asked. "I mean………I know they're not………..I just mean…….do you think, maybe they're looking down on all of us….and they're okay?" Chip lowered his head and kissed the side of her forehead.

"Yeah," he said. "I think so. Wherever they are. I know Nick and Maddie are smiling. They're together, happy, serene, and they're looking down on all of us, watching over us." He tilted his head to the side and caught sight of one of the framed pictures on one of the end tables in the living room. He slowly got up, making Vida sit up as she watched him walk across the room and pick up the picture. He came back to the couch and sat back down, handing the picture to Vida before putting his arm back around her shoulders and letting her lean against him again. Vida smiled softly as she gazed upon the picture. It had been taken right after the wedding. Xander had somehow managed to show Phineas how to use a camera and they were all standing there, smiling. Nick and Madison stared lovingly at each other. Vida remembered how she and the others didn't even bother trying to get them to look directly at the camera. There was no way the happy couple would've obliged even if they had tried. They were happy to stare into each other's eyes with soft smiles on their faces. Vida gently brushed her fingers over her sister's image.

"One of these days," she said softly, as if she were speaking directly to the picture. "I'll tell her the end of the story," she promised. Chip kissed Vida's forehead.

"We'll tell her, together," he said. "We'll tell Hannah how brave her aunt and uncle were. We'll tell her how their sacrifice saved everyone," he said. Vida nodded.

"Someday," she said.

"Yeah, someday," Chip said, knowing it was going to take some more time before they would be ready to tell their daughter the whole story.

END


	11. Patience

Summary: Madison will wait as long as she has to.

Note: To avoid confusion---this is **not** connected to the previous chapter.

2nd Note: Takes place anywhere after The Hunter but before Light Source.

3rd Note: I originally meant for this to be relatively short………..but nooooooo those dang muses grabbed onto me and wouldn't let go, heh.

4th Note: I realize there's a bit of out of character-ness in terms of Madison……..Eh, just figured if she was mad enough, she could me like this. I'm sure I'm wrong though, heh.

Patience

Madison sat on the log outside of Rootcore. Her eyes stared at a far off tree as if she was memorizing every bump and crack on the bark, but if anyone had asked her, she probably wouldn't even be able to tell the color of the tree. Her thoughts were jumbled and in turmoil as she sat there, feeling the presence of her companion.

"Maddie," said the voice. The voice that had brought her into this state. She felt him put a tentative hand on her shoulder. The feel of his fingers on her body brought the past ten minutes back to her in a shuddering flash:

_**Okay, this has gone on long enough**, she had thought to herself as she tried to encourage herself to do what she wanted to do sitting outside of Rootcore. She had just walked into Rootcore with her head held high and her shoulders back, brimming with confidence and found Nick practicing incantations with Xander and Chip. In one breath she told Nick she needed to speak to him alone outside and then simply turned on her heel and exited the wooded fortress. Soon, Nick exited as well and found her sitting on a nearby log. He approached and sat beside her, a confused expression affixed upon his face._

"_What's up?" He asked, unsure as to why she'd request to speak to him alone like that._

"_We need to talk," she replied. Nick nodded._

"_You mentioned that," he said. "About what?" He asked. Suddenly, Madison's bravado faded and she looked down. She had been able to bring herself to this point. She was able to get him to speak to her privately, but as for what she needed to tell him………….that was another story. "Is something wrong?" Nick asked._

"_Well……..uh…….I……." She cleared her throat. "What I mean, is……I……." Why is this so hard? She asked herself. _

"_Maddie?" Nick asked, putting a concerned hand on her shoulder. "Whatever it is, you know you can tell me, right?" He said. Madison looked up at him and saw his soft eyes peering at her gently. Madison took a deep breath._

"_Ilikeyou," she said quickly. Nick carefully pulled his hand off her shoulder. _

"_What?" He asked. Madison shyly tucked her hair behind her ears. _

"_I-" she began, but Nick stopped her by putting his hands up, his palms facing her._

"_I didn't mean……….I……….I mean, I heard you, I just…….." he looked away. "Wow," he said. Madison looked at him and chanced a small smile._

"_Is that a good 'wow', or a bad 'wow'?" She asked. Nick leaned forward, supporting his arms on his legs as he looked at the ground._

"_I…………..I don't know," he said. Madison's smile quickly disappeared. _

"_Oh," she said. She leaned back and let out a breath. She closed her eyes tightly. "Right," she said softly. "Of course," she to herself. Nick winced. The fact of the matter was, he had known about Madison's feelings. Well, he didn't know, but he kind of had a feeling that she might've felt this way. He wasn't surprised so much over what she had said, more so that she had said it. He figured she'd never bring it up, sort of being part of her nature. He was surprised she actually told him this. And now she was sitting there, and neither of them were saying anything, and Nick didn't know what to do. _

"_I'm-" Nick began, but was cut off by Madison giving a forced laugh. Nick sat back and looked at her._

"_Oh, wow, sorry," she said, laughing. "I was just kidding, I didn't think you'd actually fall for that," she said. Nick sighed. _

"_Maddie," he said. Madison quickly got up to her feet._

"_Well, uh, yeah, sorry for the joke…….I…….uh……….I've got to go," she said as she turned to walk away. Nick reached up and took hold of her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. Madison stood there, unable to bring herself to turn around. _

"_Maddie, come on," he said gently, not buying her rouse for a second. Madison closed her eyes as she felt tears collecting behind her lids. **Don't cry**, she ordered herself. **Don't be so freaking pathetic, Madison. Don't you dare cry.** But it didn't help. "Maddie, please, look at me," she heard Nick plead. Madison bit down on her lower lip but refrained from turning to him. She felt him release her wrist as he stood up. "Madison," he pleaded. Madison wiped at her cheeks and lowered her head as she turned around. She opened her eyes but still refused to look at him. Nick put a hand under her chin and gently raised her head so she was looking at him. She saw him frown sadly. "Maddie, please don't cry," he said gently._

"_I'm fine," Madison replied meekly. She stepped back from him and sat back down on the log, looking off into the distance. Nick sat down beside her. She closed her eyes as more tears fell. She was surprised when she felt fingers on the far side of her chin turning her face towards Nick's direction, and even more surprised when she felt lips enclose on hers. Madison slowly kissed back and placed her hands on his chest before circling them around his neck. After a long sweet eternity, the kiss slowly ended as Nick pulled back. Madison smiled. _

"_Wow," she said. _

"_I'm sorry," Nick said. Madison blinked and looked at him, noticing that he wasn't sharing the smile she bore. _

"_Sorry?" She asked. Nick sat back._

"_I shouldn't have done that," he muttered. Madison blinked and looked away, staring at a far off tree._

"Maddie?" Nick asked, bringing Madison's mind back into the present. She blinked and slowly turned her head so she was looking at him.

"Then why did you?" She asked, confused.

"Why did I what?" Nick asked.

"Why did you kiss me?" She asked. First he implied that he didn't have feelings for her, then he kisses her, and now he says she shouldn't have done that……Madison was having trouble understanding what was happening. She looked up and saw him facing her, looking at her with sad eyes.

"Madison, I can't………I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that……You looked so sad and I…"

"So, what, you just kissed me to 'make me feel better'?" She asked, venom etching her voice.

"N……..I……." Nick began, unsure what to say.

"Well, what is it? Say an actual word, will you, please?" Madison demanded. Nick sat back, never seeing this aggressive and angry side of her before, it was almost like he had to make sure which Rocca sister he was talking to for a moment. Nick looked away. "Well? What is it? Do you have the same feelings for me as I do, or not?"

"I……" Nick took a deep breath. "Don't," he said. Madison slowly got up and walked away, leaving Nick sitting on the log by himself. "Idiot," he muttered to himself, leaning back.

----

The next day was a rather tense one at The Rockporium. Vida, Chip, Xander, even Toby and Leelee could see there was something going on between Nick and Madison. Every time Nick would come within five feet of her, Madison would stop whatever she was doing and walk away, leaving Nick standing there, watching her.

"What's going on with those two?" Xander asked Vida, as the two stood by the turntables. Vida cast a look at her sister before shrugging.

"No clue," she said. "Madison did look sort of upset when she came home last night. I asked her what was wrong but she wouldn't talk about it."

"She came by Rootcore yesterday and asked to speak to Nick alone," Chip interjected as he stood next to Xander, joining the conversation.

"Right," Xander said, remembering that. Vida's eyes narrowed.

"You think Nick said something to upset her?" She asked. Chip and Xander slowly looked at her, knowing full well where she was heading with that.

"Er……Well….." Chip stuttered. He knew if Vida had the slightest inkling that Nick had upset Madison, she'd jump over her beloved turntables and take a flying leap at the red ranger, beating him mercilessly.

"No, no, of course not," Xander said, chuckling nervously.

"Yeah, uh, maybe Phineas-" Chip began.

"Phineas?" Vida asked.

"Er…..No, no, **not** Phineas….uh…." Chip stammered, not wanting to get their Troblin friend in trouble instead. "Fireheart?" Chip offered. Xander elbowed him in the side.

"I'm sure she's just having a bad day," Xander said. Vida peered at the two of them skeptically before nodding and returning her attention back to her records.

Later on that day, the five teenagers were closing up the store for the night. Leelee had try to volunteer to help but was simply blown off by the others, per usual. Nick sighed as he flipped the sign on the door from "OPEN" to "CLOSED". He turned and caught sight of Madison taking the money tray from the register to lock it in the safe in Toby's office for the night. He looked over and saw that Chip, Xander and Vida were busy doing other things around the store. _Maybe now I have a chance to talk to her, _he thought to himself. He walked over to Toby's office and walked in, softly shutting the door behind him. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw no sight of Madison.

"Vida, I'm almost ready to head out," he heard a voice say coming from under Toby's desk. He heard the sound of the safe door shutting and the combination dial spinning to lock the door before Madison emerged from below. She gave a slight startled jump when she saw that the person in the office with her was not her sister.

"Hey," he said. Madison tightened her jaw and went to leave the room. Nick quickly stepped in her way.

"Out of my way, please," she said, though her tone made it clear she had no intention of being polite.

"Wait, please?" Nick pleaded.

"For what?" Madison asked, stepping back and crossing her arms over her chest. "Another one of your random kissing fits?"

"Okay, I deserved that," he said. Madison cocked an eyebrow at him as if to say 'ya think so?' "Just……Can we talk, please?" He asked.

"About?" She asked.

"Last night," he said.

"What about it?" She asked. Nick sighed and leaned against the wall. He hated seeing this angry and hostile side of Madison. It was too unlike her. It bothered him even more knowing that he had caused this side of her to come out.

"Madison, please," he said, begging her to tone down the hostility. Madison stepped back and leaned against Toby's desk. Nick sighed. He pursed his lips, unsure how to continue.

"Well?" Madison asked. Nick closed his eyes.

"I wasn't completely honest with you last night," he blurted out.

"About what?" Madison asked. Nick leaned his head back against the wall and opened his eyes, peering at her tentatively.

"About my feelings for you," he said. Madison's brows knitted together in confusion.

"What?" She asked, her anger and hostility seemed to shift and make room for her newfound puzzlement.

"I………..do………..have feelings for you," he said. Madison stood up straight and walked over to him, peering at him skeptically.

"Then why…?" She asked, her voice trailing off. Nick stood up straight and looked at her directly.

"I'm sorry," he said, "for hurting you, I'm sorry," he said.

"Why did you say that you didn't last night?" Madison asked, trying to keep focus on the original subject. Nick lowered his gaze to the ground. "Nick?" Madison asked.

"Because," he began. "I thought that if you thought I didn't have feelings for you, everything would just stay the same," he said.

"You kind of nixed that plan when you kissed me," Madison pointed out. "I still don't understand," she said.

"Everything's changing right now," Nick stated. "I mean…….I found out who my real parents are….I found out I'm supposed to be an all powerful wizard, the Light, and those Terror things are gunning for me, not to mention my mom and cousin are off somewhere searching for my dad…………who might not even be alive anymore," he said. "I just don't think I can……….be…….with anyone." He said. There was a long period of silence as the new revelation floated in the atmosphere.

"Oh," Madison finally said after a while.

"And…….the kiss…….." he went on to say. "I just…………" he blushed slightly. "Wanted to," he said, chancing a look at her. He caught sight of a slight blush on her cheeks as well. The two looked down, unsure what to say next. They both jumped when there was a knock on the door.

"Maddie? You in there?" They heard Vida ask.

"We'll be right out," Madison called back. There was a bit of silence from the other side of the door.

"Who's 'we'?" They heard Vida ask. "Is Nick in there with you?"

"Yeah, I'm just………uh……….helping Madison with the safe……" Nick said.

"Okay….." They heard Vida reply, in a confused tone before they heard her departing footsteps. Madison and Nick laughed slightly. They looked at each other.

"So…….What does this all mean?" Madison asked, still slightly confused. "I like you……..you like me……..what's the problem? Is it just……..all of the changes going on?"

"Not completely," Nick admitted. He walked closer to her and reached down, taking her hand in his. "The Terrors, they might use whatever they can against me………..I just………don't want them to see us…………." He sighed. "I just don't want what happened with Oculus happening again………..I don't want you getting hurt because of me……."

"Nick," Madison sighed. "There's a chance that any one of us can get hurt," she said, indicating herself, Vida, Chip and Xander. "We're all in this together and if we have to, we'll do whatever we can to make sure the Terrors don't get their hands on you," she stated firmly. "I'm in danger whether I'm your girlfriend or friend," she added bluntly. "It's a risk each one of us took when we decided to become rangers in the first place," she concluded.

"I just can't," he said. "Not now……..Not with everything that's going on," he said, releasing her hand. He turned away from her and went to open the door. He stopped when he felt her small hand close around his wrist, stopping him.

"Okay," she said. "I can wait." Nick turned back to her. She gave him a slight half smile and Nick was relived to see the old Madison he had grown to know and care for.

"What?" He asked.

"I can wait," Madison repeated. "Until you feel like you can take things further…….or until we defeat the darkness and everything settles down……….until whenever. I can wait," she said.

"I can't ask you to do that," Nick said.

"Who said you're _asking_ me to do anything?" Madison asked.

"I don't even know how long-" Nick began. Madison cut him off by putting a hand to his lips.

"I don't care," she said. She lowered her hand and smiled. "I should go," she said. "Vida's waiting." She gently brushed past him and went to open the door.

"Maddie," he protested gently. He didn't want her to wait when even he didn't know when he'd be able to not worry about other things and solely focus on her…….Even if he wished he could do so that very second. Madison looked at him.

"Nick, you'd be surprised how much patience a person can have," she said, "when the wait's worth it," she concluded, giving him a warm smile before exiting the office. Nick let her words enter his consciousness and felt himself smiling. He left the room and saw Madison and Vida leaving the store. Madison turned her head to him and gave him one last smile before she and her sister departed.

"You okay?" Nick heard Xander ask him. Nick blinked and looked at his friend.

"Huh?"

"You okay?" Xander repeated. "You and Madison were in there for a while. Is everything okay?" Nick smiled and nodded.

"Yeah…things are good……..well, as good as they can be for now," Nick said as he walked away to grab his leather jacket to leave. Xander cocked his head to the side.

"What in the world does that mean?" Xander asked.

END


	12. Knight

Summary: What if that fateful day during the earthquake wasn't Nick's first time in Briarwood?

2nd Note: Takes place years before the series.

Knight

"Mommy," I said, getting my mother's attention as she laughed, holding up the camcorder, forever capturing the image of my dad spinning my sister around by her wrists.

"What is it hon……Manny, be careful!" She yelled, her chastising cutting her off mid-sentence. My dad stopped, the slow in momentum making Vida's feet touch the sand.

"What?" He asked, giving my mother and I an innocent look as Vida giggled.

"Again, dad!" Vida yelled. Mom sighed and shook her head amusedly before setting the camcorder down on her lap and looking at me.

"I'm sorry, Maddie, what is it honey?"

"Can I have some money to get an ice cream cone?" I asked.

"You want ice cream?" She asked. She turned back to where my dad and Vida stood. Vida giggled as she tried to take a step over to us, only to fall down on her backside, dazed from all the spinning. "Manny, baby, take the camera while I go get Maddie some ice cream," she said.

"No," I quickly said, loud enough to get my mother's attention focused back on me. "I can go by myself," I said. I was highly offended. Here I was, ten years old, and my mom wasn't letting me go get ice cream on my own? My mom peered at me closely. "Please?" I pleaded.

"Come on, Elaina," my dad called out. "She'll be fine," he said. My mother sighed.

"I see I'm getting double teamed here," she groaned. "Fine," she said, finally relenting. "But I want you to go straight to the ice cream stand on the boardwalk and back, understood?" She said as she reached into her beach bag and pulled out her wallet. "No talking to strangers, no going to any other shops or anything, all right?" She added as she handed me the money.

"Si, mami," I said as I stood up.

"And close up your hand," she said. "The whole world doesn't need to see that you've got money with you." I nodded and closed my hand into a tight fist, crumbling up the five dollar bill my mother had given me so that it was unseen by all.

"I'll be right back," I said as I adjusted the seat of my blue one piece bathing suit with my free hand. I trotted over the warm sand, making my way over to the boardwalk. I walked up to the small ice cream parlor across from the stairs separating the boardwalk from the beach. The air conditioning in the shop hit me head on, nearly making me fall back from shock. I rubbed at my bare arms before walking over to the counter.

"Hey Madison," said Hannah from behind the counter. She lived a few houses down from us and mom and dad would sometimes have her baby-sit Vida and I, since she was in high school and was mature and responsible.

"Hi, Hannah," I said, smiling at her.

"How's your summer going, honey?" She asked. I smiled at the endearment. Hannah cared for both me and my sister deeply, but I knew she liked me the best. It made me feel so cool to have an eleventh grader as a friend.

"It's all right," I said. "I kind of miss school," I admitted. Hannah smiled.

"Aw, don't worry; you'll soon get to the fun part of summer. Aren't your parents sending you and V to camp in a few weeks?" I groaned. Mom and dad had signed us up for camp a few months ago. Vida was really excited for it……Me, on the other hand…well, I was having a hard time finding smelly bunk beds and mosquito bites exciting.

"Yeah," I said. "I guess," I added, shrugging. Hannah reached over and tenderly petted my hair.

"It'll be fun, trust me," she said. She stood back, signaling it was time for her to be in her job mind-set. "So, what can I get you?"

"Vanilla ice cream, sugar cone," I said. Hannah smiled.

"Coming right up, honey," she said. I stepped aside as Hannah went off to get my ice cream, seeing someone standing behind me wanting to give their order.

"Hey, Maddie," I heard someone say. I looked up and saw Jeff, Hannah's unbelievably good-looking manager and boyfriend, approaching the register to take the next person's order.

"H….Hi Jeff…." I stammered nervously.

"How's your sister doing?" He asked. I inwardly groaned. As much as Hannah adored me, Jeff seemed to favor my slightly tomboy-ish sister.

"She's okay," I grumbled.

"Cool, tell her that we need to have that foosball rematch before you guys go to camp," he said, giving me one of his breathtaking smiles, making me forget any resentment I held.

"Okay," I said dreamily. Jeff gave me one last smile before turning his attention to an older boy; he looked like he was 12 or 13, that was waiting to give his order. He had tan skin, short dark curly hair, and was wearing a red t-shirt and red swim trunks.

"What can I get for you?" Jeff asked the boy.

"Here you go, honey," Hannah announced as she came back with my ice cream cone.

"Thanks," I said, handing her my crumbled bill with one hand and taking the cone with the other. Hannah straightened out the bill before putting it into the open register and took out my change. Hannah smiled and handed me my money. "See you later," she said. I smiled back at her.

"Yeah, see ya," I said before leaving the store. I was almost at the steps to the beach when I felt someone knock my cone out of my hand. I gasped as I saw it fall to the ground, the icy vanilla treat spattering on the wooden blanks of the boardwalk. I stepped back to see who the culprit was, only to see Jamie Ludgens sneering down at me. He was three grades head of Vida and me in school and took pleasure out of terozing younger and smaller people, especially me. Usually, Vida was able to get him to leave me alone, but I guess he saw that I was all alone today.

"Aww, did wittle Maddie drop her ice cream?" Jamie sneered, making his equally enlightened friends behind him laugh. I looked down, hoping he'd leave me alone. "Hey, Shrimp," he yelled, giving my shoulder a shove. "I'm talkin' to you!"

"Go away," I mumbled.

"What did you say?" He demanded. I stepped back, wishing Vida would suddenly appear beside me.

"Hey!" I exclaimed when I felt one of Jamie's friends grab my wrist. I felt his fingers pry mine open, trying to get to what was held in my fist. "Stop it," I said, trying to pull my arm free.

"Shut it, Shrimpo," he said as he ripped the money out of my hand.

"Hey, that's my mom's money! Give it back!" This only made the boys laugh at me.

"Ooooh, guys, we better listen to her, it's her mommy's money," Jaime jeered, the other boys laughed harder. Jaime's friend let go of my wrist. I stumbled away from them, looking down as tears began to well up in my eyes. "Awwwwww, is Maddie going to cry?"

"Come on, J, let's go," another one of his friends said. I heard the retreating footsteps of Jaime's friends on the boardwalk blanks. From my view of the ground, I saw that only Jaime remained. "What's the matter, Maddie? Sad that you're ugly sister isn't here to protect you?" Jamie snickered. My head snapped up at that. It was one thing to knock over my ice cream, say mean things to me and take my money. But no one, and I mean NO ONE calls my sister ugly!

"Don't talk about my sister!" I growled as I charged at Jaime and tried to shove him, using my full body force………..unfortunately, my tiny ten year old frame was nothing compared to his thirteen year old wrestler's frame. Jamie laughed and grabbed my arm.

"Ooooh, wittle Maddie trying to be big and bad now, huh? Whatever, loser," he said as he gave me a shove which knocked me back on my backside.

"Ow," I whined. The tears that were held in my eyes began to spill down as I kept looking down.

"Hey!" I heard someone yell. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

"Hey, mind your own business, punk," Jaime yelled. I heard the distinct sound of a fist slamming into flesh before I saw Jaime stumble backwards.

"Ow! My nose!" Jamie wailed before scurrying away.

"Hey," said my defender's voice as I felt a hand on my shoulder. "You okay?" I blinked and looked up. Through my moist eyes, I saw a blurry shape standing over me, gazing down on me with concern.

"Jeff?" I wondered gently. I reached up and wiped at my eyes, the image becoming clearer. I soon saw that no, my savior was not Jeff; in fact, it was the boy who had been behind me in the ice cream parlor. I felt him take his hand off my shoulder before he took hold of my arm; gently helping me up to my feet and making me sit on one of the benches on the boardwalk. I lowered my head, still reeling from Jaime's latest attack. The boy put something down on the bench next to me before kneeling down in front of me.

"You don't have a cut or anything, so that's good," I heard him say. I blinked again and peaked up at him. I saw him gazing at me with a pair of the most gorgeous eyes I'd ever seen, and a kind and warm smile to match. I couldn't help return his smile. "Ah, yeah, you're okay," he said. He gave me a gentle tap on the leg before he stood up. I gazed up at him, all thoughts of Jeff and his blue eyes and wavy blonde hair leaving my head. He sat down beside me.

"I'm Nick," he said, extending a hand to me. I stared at his hand for a few seconds before I realized what I was expected to do.

"M…….M……Mad….Maddie," I stammered, taking his hand and shaking it. Nick smiled and released my hand. "I……uh…….I've never seen you around here before," I said. "Are you new………to town……I mean." Nick shook his head.

"Nah. I'm visiting some cousins from the next town over," he said. "We just drove here to hang out at the beach for the day."

"Oh," I said. I sat back a bit, looking down as my feet swished against the boardwalk planks.

"Hey, listen," Nick said after a while. "I bought this ice cream sundae thing," he said. "But I'm suddenly not in the mood for ice cream right now. I saw that those jerks made you drop yours, so.." he said, reaching across me and retrieving the large ice cream cup that he had set down on the other side of me. "Do you want it?" I looked up at him, surprised.

"What?" I asked. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I was looking for a pretty girl to give it to anyway," he said, giving me another one of his warm smiles. "It's a good thing I found her before the ice cream melted," he said. I giggled.

"O…Okay," I said, taking hold of the cup, taking hold of the plastic spoon sticking out from the ice cream.

"Cool," he said. "Well, I better get back to my cousins." He put his arm around my shoulders. "It was nice meeting you, Maddie," he said. What he did next took me by complete surprise—he kissed me on the cheek! "Bye," he said before standing up and walking away. I blinked and watched him leave, my hand leaving the plastic spoon and touching my tingling cheek. I smiled as I watched my savior walk down the boardwalk. He turned his head back to me and smiled once more before he disappeared in the distance.

"Madison! There you are!" I heard my mother exclaim as she ran up the steps from the beach. "What in the world took you so long? I was worried sick!" She sat beside me and began to scold me for making her worry, but there was no way I was paying attention. My mind was too focused on my knight in red armor.

END


	13. Smile

Summary: Nick muses on something so simple and seemingly insignificant.

Note: Takes place anywhere after The Return (since there's mention of Leanbow being around).

Smile

It's something so simple, but for some reason, it just doesn't seem so simple with her. I mean, Madison is the type of person who rarely scowls or frowns. There's usually a smile on that beautiful face of hers. She does it all the time, so you'd think it wouldn't be a big deal. But it is, to me.

I've learned that she's got different types of smiles. They might look the same to the naked eye, but they each have a hidden meaning…..a subtext. And each one is just as special as the next.

There's her average everyday smile. Although, honestly, calling anything about her "average" or "everyday" would be a horrible insult. It's the smile that seems to be affixed upon her features no matter what she's doing. Even if she's doing something as mundane as restocking shelves at The Rockporium or talking to her friends, that smile is always there. It's like someone just took both corners of her mouth and turned them upwards ever so slightly. It's usually accompanied by a gentle nod when it comes to being engaged in conversations.

There's her nervous smile, which usually comes with the sight of her teeth tugging on her lower lip as she looks down, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders and momentarily hiding her away from the world.

There's her happy smile, which shows off both rows of teeth. It's one of my personal favorites. It comes on slow, almost looking like a nervous smile at first, but it grows wider and wider, until you almost have to wonder if she's somehow hurting her cheeks by smiling so widely.

Then there's the personalized smiles she seems to have for each of us. It's like a special smile she gets depending on who she's addressing. I've noticed that when it comes to Daggeron, my mom and dad, the smile is gentle, admiring, full of reverence to the elders. When it comes to her sister, Vida, Madison's smile is full of love and also a bit of admiration. Or maybe it's pride. She feels proud of her sister……..I'm not sure. But the sisterly bond between the two of them is evident in that smile. I've noticed the smile she saves for Chip and the smile she saves for Phineas are slightly similar. Both are loving, with a sign of amusement. The only difference is that her smile to Phineas seems like what you'd give to your crazy wacky good friend, whereas Chip, it's the smile you'd give to your crazy younger brother. This only proves Chip's long history with the Rocca sisters. I've seen the smile she gives to Xander. At the beginning, when I first became friends with them all, I would get jealous of that smile. I thought it conveyed certain feelings she might've had for the Australian. After closer expection, I saw that though the smile was loving, like the rest of her smiles, it was not one of someone who was _in love_. There was a bit of amusement and admonishment in her smiles to Xander. Her smile to Toby seems to run the gamut of respect and amusement, depending on what Toby is saying. I've yet to decipher what kind of smile she gives to Leelee, but I'm sure I'll find out soon.

And here's the best one of all---The smile I was a little surprised when it appeared---The smile she saves especially for me. I don't even know how to describe it. It's like a mixture of everything…..but at the same time, not. I've noticed that when we talk, there is respect, admiration, and pride in that smile. There's also love….but a different kind of love as what the others get, at least that's what I notice whenever I catch her looking at me from across Rootcore or Rockporium, smiling at me. Then there's the nervous smile, when she sees that I've caught her staring.

There's something about Madison, something about her smiles. They're like snowflakes. Even though they all fall into certain categories, each smile seems to look brand new. I appreciate them all…….But, of course, by far, my favorite smile, is the one she saves just for me.

END


	14. Darkness

Summary: A horrible occurrence changes Nick, possibly forever

Note: Takes place anywhere after The Return, but before Mystic Fate (since Leanbow and Udonna are together, but the Rangers haven't defeated The Master yet.)

2nd Note: This originally was going to be a new fic of mine, but I decided to just make it a theme. It might be a little long, so……..yeah…….apologies for that, heh.

Darkness

Nick sat on one of the wooden chairs in Rootcore, being placed there by his father. The idea that he had to be _placed_ anywhere only seemed to anger the young red ranger as his fingers gripped the arm rests of the chair. He felt the wood grains under his fingers………Yes, now, he could only _feel_.

"Bowen?" He heard his mother's voice. He turned his head to the side.

"What?" He asked. He felt his mother gently take his face in her hands and turned it to face the other side. This only made Nick fume, and the gentle stroking of his face didn't help.

"Are you hungry?" She asked. Nick shook his head.

"You need to eat, son," he heard his father say from behind him, startling him. Leanbow placed a hand on Nick's shoulder, seeing him jump. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to scare you," he said.

"I'm fine," Nick growled through clenched teeth.

"Are you sure? I could make you some soup…..or perha-" Udonna began, but she was cut off by Nick slamming his hand on the armrest of the chair.

"I said I'm fine!" Udonna stepped back, surprised by her son's outburst. Leanbow sighed and shook his head sadly, removing his hand from Nick's shoulder.

"All right," she said. "I suppose…..Your father and I will just…..leave you be….." Nick sighed as he heard her slow retreating footsteps.

"I……I didn't mean to yell," Nick said, knowing his father was still in the room. Leanbow nodded before catching himself, realizing the gesture would be lost on Nick.

"I know," he said. "I'll go see to your mother. Call us if you need anything," he said. He gave Nick's shoulder a gentle reassuring squeeze before leaving the room. Nick leaned back in the chair, slamming his hand on the chair once more in anger as his mind wondered to the battle from two months ago. The last thing he saw.

_It stared off as a normal battle. Another one of the Ten Terrors was trying to destroy the city and the rangers, plus Daggeron and Leanbow, were busy making sure it did not succeed. The seven warriors spread out around the beast, hitting it from all sides with their blasters. They seemed to be succeeding, then the creature made one of Nick's blasts deflect off his armor and hit Madison in the chest._

"_Ugh!" Madison cried out as she fell back._

"_Maddie!" The rangers exclaimed. Nick saw red at this. Consumed with anger, he ripped his sword from it's sheath and charged ahead._

"_You're dead, you ugly freak!" Nick yelled. _

"_Son, no!" He heard his father call out to him, but his father's voice was just a distant noise in his ears. All he cared about was taking care of this monster for good._

Nick remembered fighting the beast. He remembered the two of them locked in an intense battle away from the others, just the two of them. Then all he could remember was explosions………darkness………..voices…………….

"_Nick……….Nick!...Nick, say something, please!" Nick groaned as he felt hands under his head, lifting it up off the ground. He felt dizzy and disoriented, his head heavy._

"_Wh…What's going on?" He asked._

"_Oh, god, you're okay," he heard a voice declare happily. _

"_Maddie?" Nick asked. "What's going on?"_

"_You don't remember?" Madison asked. "The two of you were fighting….up on the ridge. Your dad, Daggeron, Xander and Vida tried to get to you but it was too late. It blasted at you and sent you over the edge. You hit your head……We didn't know if……." Madison's voice trailed off. "The others are off taking care of that freak with the zords," she finally concluded. Nick finally opened his eyes, expecting to see the Blue ranger staring down at him, but all he saw was darkness._

"_Maddie……I……..I think there's something wrong with my helmet…….I can't see anything…."_

"_The visor might've cracked when you fell," Madison said. She felt him set his head down before her fingers brushed at his neck. There was a soft click and he felt his head moving again, this time one of Madison's hands supported his head while something seemed to be lifted off of him. Nick blinked, but all he saw was darkness._

"_Maddie? Did you take the helmet off?" He asked. He didn't hear her respond. "Maddie?" Still nothing._

"……_.Oh…..God……" He finally heard her whimper._

The blast from the creature and the impact from Nick's fall had damaged both of Nick's eyes. Apparently there had been some bleeding from his eyes, not that Nick would know, having not seen it. Clare had been able to use her magic to stop the bleeding, but not restore his eyesight. Apparently making the blind see needed more magic than the blonde apprentice could muster. Udonna tried to help her, but with her magic just starting to return from Leelee reuniting her with her snow staff she sadly couldn't provide much help, leaving Nick living in this dark prison. He hated it, unable to fend for himself, having to be led around by others. The cynical part of his mind thought this must've been a dream come true for his mother and father. They missed out on the part in his life where he needed his help to do the simplest of tasks like changing or feeding himself, now they had a second chance. _That's a depressing thought_ he thought to himself. Nick sighed and slowly stood up from the chair, putting a hand in front of him as he tried to feel for the table. His fingers brushed over the carved wood as he walked to the edge of it, before he attempted to walk to the corner of the table. He slowly let go of the table as he felt ahead of him while he walked in the direction of the stairs in the forest abode. Unfortunately, he couldn't see the other chair not too far ahead of him. Nick's foot caught on the leg of the chair. He then felt the side of his face collide with the ground. He made a low angry growl, but made no move to get up. He couldn't.

"Nick!" He heard someone exclaim, followed by the sound of sprinting footsteps. He felt a hand on his back. "Are you all right? Here, let me help you up." Nick simply let himself be pulled up by the soft pair of hands. "Here, stand here for a sec," the voice said. He then heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. No doubt his savior was picking up the chair he knocked over. "Come on," said the voice as he felt the soft hands take hold of his hands and lead him to the chair. He got closer to the person as he was helped over to the chair. He could smell the distinct smell of something chemical….like rubbing alcohol, but not…..his mind then drew the connection to where he usually would smell that aroma. It was a cleaning solution used to clean a camera lens.

"Thanks, Maddie," Nick said lowly as he sat down. He heard her departing footsteps as she went to retrieve his discarded chair and pull it over to him and sit down.

"How are you feeling today?" She asked. Nick sighed and slumped down in his seat.

"Same as I did yesterday and the day before that, and the day before that," he grumbled. "Weak, pathetic, useless, you name it," he felt Madison reach over and take hold of his hand.

"Nick," she said gently. "Don't do this to yourself," she said.

"What? It's true, isn't it? I mean, what would you call someone who can't even walk up and down some stairs on his own?" Nick spat out. Madison sighed and stood up from her chair. She went over to him and kneeled in front of him.

"You are not weak, or pathetic, or useless," she said. Nick simply snorted in response. Madison sighed and cupped his face in her hands. "You will get better," she said, conviction heavy in her voice. "Udonna's powers will come back completely and you'll see again. Just give it some time," she said.

"What if I don't see again?" Nick asked. "What if I'm forced to just………..be like this……….forever?" Madison grew silent. "What if I'll never get to manage to eat without someone having to guide my freaking hand to the fork? Huh? What if-"

"You'll manage," Madison broke in, seeing this line of talk was only making Nick more and more depressed. "You'll survive, you'll adapt." She rubbed his cheek with her thumb. "But you don't need to worry about that, because you **will **get better," she said. Nick pulled away from her touch and lowered his head.

"I can't do this," he said, his voice so close to a whimper. "I can't……..I……I can't go on like this. All I see is darkness……..and it scares me," he admitted. Madison got closer to him and put a hand on his leg. Nick scoffed at himself. "Isn't that wonderful? The powerful red ranger, the Light, scared of the dark………….Although, I guess it is poetic, right?" He said.

"Nick," Madison said. "I know you're scared-" Nick cut her off with a glare…….or as much of a glare as he could muster, as he slapped her hand off his leg.

"You know? What do you know? You don't know anything," he said, speaking harshly. "None of you know what this is like," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Madison stood up and stared down at Nick. His harsh tone and slap had brought tears to the young blue ranger's eyes and a lump to her throat.

"You're right," she said, her voice hitched. "I don't know what it's like to not be able to see anything. But I do know what it's like to be scared," she said. She looked down and wiped at her eyes. "You fell, Nick. You fell and you hit your head and you weren't moving." The image of that day only seemed to bring more tears to Madison's eyes. "You weren't moving….or….or saying anything……..And I was **scared**. I was scared that you were…….." Her voice trailed off. "I was scared…..I was afraid that I…." her voice trailed off again.

"That you what?" Nick asked.

"Nothing," Madison said. She took a deep breath. "Just……Just don't say I don't know what it's like to be scared," she said. Nick lowered his head again.

"I'm sorry," he said after a while. "I shouldn't have…..been so……" he sighed. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just………..I can't……adjust to this. I feel so helpless…….and I feel like I'm some huge burden or something. I mean, my dad's finally back and he and my mom are reunited but they can't even fully enjoy it. They're too busy taking care of me."

"You act as if that's some sort of chore," Madison said.

"Isn't it?" Nick asked. "I'm not a little kid anymore. I've long since grown passed needing my mommy and daddy help me walk around the house."

"Has it occurred to you that they're just glad you're okay?" Madison asked, her voice now brimming on harsh. "That they don't care about you needing help because they're just happy to be a family again? If you weren't so consumed in yourself and how 'pathetic' _you_ feel, maybe you'd notice that. Nick, you could've died that day…….if you can't see that we're all just overjoyed that you survived the fall and everything….then maybe you truly are blind." Nick sat back, taking in her words.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He slowly extended his hand, trying to reach for her. All he felt was air between his fingers. Nick squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his frustration ebbing. Madison saw this and quickly stepped closer to him, grabbing his hand and standing close to him so her legs nearly bumped into his knees.

"I'm here," she told him. Nick took a deep breath. He reached for her waist with his other hand and pulled her closer, making her lose her balance and fall onto his lap. Madison went to get up, but Nick's hold on her waist told her he didn't want her to. "I'm here," she repeated.

"Good," he said. He lowered his head, leaning it against her shoulder. Madison let go of his hand and put both her arms around his shoulders, hugging him gently. "Don't leave," he said.

"I won't," she swore. Nick sighed as they sat there. This darkness that surrounded him was unbearable. It was enough to make him want to just curl up and stay in his bed forever. At least there he never ran the risk of bumping into things or falling over. He would've been happy to do just that, if it wasn't for his parents, his friends, everyone around him dragging him up and making him function. A part of him resented them for this, but another part of him knew. He knew they were simply trying to guide him. Not just literally, keeping him from colliding with tables or making sure he didn't miss a step on the stairs. But guide him through this darkness, the one that clouded his heart and mind.

"Promise?" He asked. Madison smiled and kissed the side of his forehead.

"Promise," she said. "You'll have to do more than be a complete bonehead to get rid of me," she said. Nick laughed.

"Glad to hear that," he said.

END


	15. Power

Summary: Madison finds Nick while he's under the Master's control

Note: Takes place during Mystic Fate, a little AU. Let's say that instead of Nick returning to the mystic village and wreaking havoc, the others go looking for him.

2nd Note: I've decided to turn the last chapter's theme in a story all of its own………now, when this story will actually be written is a whole other story, heh.

3rd Note: Sorry for the less than exciting fight scenes. I'm not very good at writing fights, heh.

4th Note: Sorry for the length too………..those dang muses just have a mind of their own, don't they?

Power

"This just doesn't seem right, right?" Madison asked as she and Chip walked along the forest. They had just come from the destroyed village, where they found out it was Nick's doing.

"Maybe there's like a shape shifting monster or something?" Chip suggested, shrugging. After they had been told Nick had been in the village, the rangers, Leanbow and Daggeron decided to get to the bottom of this and find Nick. The idea that her son could've done something so heinous put Udonna in a state, forcing Leanbow to spirit her back to Rootcore. After that, he and Daggeron went along a part of the forest while Xander and Vida went another, and Chip and Madison another.

"Yeah….that has to be it," Madison said, nodding. "I mean, Nick wouldn't………." Madison's voice trailed off. Chip stopped as he put a hand on her shoulder, making her slow to a stop.

"Maddie, we'll find him," he assured her. Madison smiled and nodded. She opened her mouth to reply when a rustling coming not to far from them caught their attention. They stepped back and prepared for anything that might come out at them. They saw a leather clad leg come out from the bushes, followed by a black and red vest.

"What's going on, guys?" Nick asked, taking note of their defensive stances.

"Nick!" Madison exclaimed, smiling. She went over to him, ready to hug him but caught herself quickly. "Uh…….we………uh……were looking for you," she said, tugging her hair behind her ear nervously. Nick peered at her before looking over at Chip.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. "Is it my mom and dad?" He asked worriedly.

"No, it's…..The mystic village," Chip said. "It's been destroyed." Nick's head seemed to tilt a bit to the side.

"Destroyed?" He asked, his eyes squinting in confusion.

"They……they said you did it," Madison said gently. Nick's head snapped to her.

"Me?" He asked, confused. "I……..I've been in the woods this whole time….."

"Nick, we don't'…….It's not like we think you did it," Madison clarified, placing a hand on his arm. Nick smiled warmly at her, causing her to blush.

"Man, this reeks of some sort of evil plot by the master," Chip said. Nick looked at Chip.

"Totally," he said. He cast another look towards Madison before looking at Chip again. "Chip, why don't you go find the others," he said. "We'll stay here, keep an eye out for my evil twin," he said. Chip nodded.

"All right," Chip said. He stepped back and went off, disappearing in the woods in search of the others.

"So, why do you think the master would try and make it look like you destroyed the village?" Madison asked, catching Nick's attention. He shrugged.

"Discredit us, probably," he said. "Turn the villagers against us or something. Come on, let's keep looking for this thing," he said.

"Shouldn't we wait for Chip to get back with the others?"

"They'll find us," Nick assured, giving Madison a charming smile. Madison smiled back at him.

"All right," she said. She turned and continued walking the direction she had been going with Chip as Nick fell into step behind her. The two of them continued walking deeper into the forest, looking around, making sure nothing caught them by surprise. "We were all really worried about you," Madison said.

"No need to worry about me," Nick said from behind her. "I'm perfectly all right," he said, Madison paused as she sensed something off in his voice. Something in his tone seemed a little different…….almost dark.

"Nick?" She asked, turning around. What she saw made her gasp and step back. Nick was gazing at her with a smirk on his lips and his eyes glowing. "Oh my g……" she began, her voice trailing off.

"Not quite," Nick said, giving a sinister chuckle. Madison stepped back some more, not quite understanding what was going on, but a part of her knew she didn't want to be too close to him.

"Y……You're not Nick," she said. Nick threw his head back and let loose a hearty laugh. He looked back at her, his eyes still glowing.

"Guess again," he said. He took a step towards her, causing Madison to take a shaky step backwards.

"I……….I don't understand………..why?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Nick's smirk deepened.

"Just having a little fun," he said. Madison's eyes narrowed angrily.

"Having fun?" She spat out incredulously. "By destroying an entire village?"

"It was a blast," he grinned. Madison felt her heart breaking at the sight of him being so callous and uncaring.

"What happened to you?" She asked.

"Nothing, just getting a taste of the power dead old dad used to have," he said. Madison's eyes widened.

"Oh no……….Nick……." she said, feeling her eyes well up. "You don't……….you don't mean……The Master……" Nick chuckled and nodded. "What has he done to you?" Madison asked, horrified.

"Done _to_ me?" Nick asked, taking a step towards her. "Maddie, he did this **for** me," he clarified. "I've never felt so powerful in my life. I'm strong, Madison, really strong," he said. He laughed. "I mean, look, I took down an entire village on my own,"

"That's not something to be proud of," Madison said. Nick shook his head.

"Of course you'd say that, Maddie," he said. "But you don't know," he said. He continued advancing towards her, which only resulted in her backing up away from him. Nick smiled. "Sure, the Master came to me first because I'm the Light, but I'm sure he'll give all of you guys this power………this incredible feeling. I can't believe my dad actually gave it up."

"He 'gave it up' for you," Madison said. "For you, and your mom, and the safety of everyone." Madison stopped as she felt herself back up into a tree. She cursed herself for not being more aware of her surroundings and putting herself in this corner.

"No, no," Nick said, coming to a stop a mere few inches away from her. "He gave it up because he was weak," he spat out, disgusted. Madison cast a look over Nick's shoulder, wondering if the others were coming. She wasn't sure if she could take on Nick on her own at this point. Nick smirked at her. "That fear…..uncertainty that you're feeling Maddie, it can go away." Madison glared at him.

"Right, I just have to agree to be some evil thing's little puppet? No thanks," she spat out. Nick narrowed his eyes angrily and stepped back.

"Fine," he said. "If that's your final decision……" he said, taking another step back. Madison stood and watched in horror as Nick's body was watched in purple armor………Koragg's armor. Madison took her morpher in her hand, flipping it open with her thumb and holding it at her side.

"Nick, we don't have to do this," she said, not looking forward to fighting her teammate.

"I think we do," Nick stated. Madison closed her eyes.

"Fine," she said, pressing the code on the morpher and becoming encased in her blue suit. Nick chuckled as she stepped away from the tree, maneuvering herself away from him. "I don't want to fight you, Nick," she said. Nick laughed and unsheathed his sword, holding it out towards her.

"Then I guess this will be easy, huh?" He asked, his voice sounding dark and menacing. The tone nearly brought tears to Madison's eyes. Not tears of fear, but tears of sadness in hearing such a tone coming from Nick. Nick charged at her, holding his sword out. Madison quickly spun away from his path and held her staff out defensively.

"Nick, don't do this," she pleaded gently. Nick spun back towards her, and instead of responding, simply growled as he charged at her again. Madison held her staff up as Nick brought the sword down on her. The two instruments clanked as they hit, Nick pressing down against the staff to strike her and Madison pressing upwards, warding off the sword with the staff. Madison began to find herself faltering against Nick and stepped back, hoping distance would lessen the pressure. It did little to help, as Nick just stepped towards her.

"Give up, blue ranger," Nick sneered. "You'd be foolish to think you'd be stronger than me."

"Who…" Madison forced out as she strained against him, "said anything about being stronger?" She asked before quickly ducking down, causing Nick to slightly lose his balance before she swept her leg across his, knocking him down. She jumped back to her feet. "It's about having the will to fight, not power," she said. Nick chuckled as he rose to his feet.

"Impressive," he said. "But I'm done playing games." Madison barely had time to react as he held the sword out and a stream of lightening shot out from the tip. Madison quickly jumped away, landing on her knees. Nick continued shooting at her, making her have to roll and jump away. Madison landed in a crouched position on the ground, panting as she tried to catch her breath. Nick smirked and aimed the sword at her again, firing at her. This time, Madison wasn't quick enough to get away and the blast hit her in the chest, sending her sprawling backwards onto her back with a painful yelp as her ranger suit disappeared upon impact. Nick walked over to her, standing over her fallen form. She struggled to get up but was in too much pain to move.

"Nick, please, you have to fight the master's hold on you," Madison forced out. Nick laughed and pressed his foot against her chest, causing her to whimper.

"Now, why would I want to do a stupid thing like that?" He asked. "Goodbye Maddie," he said as he held his sword up, ready to deliver the final blow. As he went to lower the sword, a large pink tornado blew in from nowhere, grabbing Nick in it's vortex. Madison blinked as she saw Nick being spun around.

"Maddie! Are you okay?" Madison looked up and saw Chip, Xander, Daggeron and Leanbow running towards her. Finally, the tornado ceased as Nick fell to the ground in a daze and Vida stood not to far from him. She turned back to the others and joined them.

"Sis," she exclaimed worriedly as Xander and Chip helped Madison to her feet.

"It's Nick," Madison panted weakly, stumbling against Xander, who put his arms around her waist to hold her up. Madison cast a pained look to Leanbow. "The Master…..he took over Nick…"

"Oh my god," Vida whispered.

"No, no way," Chip stated, astounded. Daggeron looked at Leanbow, who looked pained and heartbroken towards Nick, who was getting back up to his feet, chuckling.

"Yes way, Chip," Nick said.

"Nick…." Leanbow whispered sadly.

"What's the matter, dad?" Nick sneered. "Jealous that the master gave me this power instead of giving it to you?"

"You mean made you his lapdog, don't you?" Vida snapped out, angry that he had hurt her sister. Nick glared at her and held his sword out to the group, emitting a blast at them all. It hit them, knocking them back. Vida, Chip, Xander and Madison landed on the ground with Vida, Chip and Xander over her since they tried to shield her from the blast, fearful that in her weakened state it would cause her severe damage. The three of them weakly rolled onto their sides, trying to gather their strength. Daggeron and Leanbow fell not to far from them. Nick stalked towards his father and grabbed his arm.

"Get up," he growled, dragging Leanbow to his feet.

"Nick, stop," Daggeron exclaimed, only to be ignored. Nick shoved his father away from the others, letting him go.

"Now, it's time to see who is truly powerful here," Nick growled. "Fight me." Leanbow's eyes filled with sadness and pain at the sight of his son like this. He shook his head.

"No, I won't fight you, son," he said.

"Then you will die," Nick said lowly as he slowly raised his sword. As this went on, Madison forced herself to her feet. She couldn't just lie there and let Nick hurt his father, he wasn't himself. _If he goes back to himself, the guilt will destroy him _she told herself as a strength she didn't even know she had brought her up on her shaky legs. She took a deep breath and ran towards Nick and Leanbow.

"No, Nick, don't!" She exclaimed as she reached Nick and grabbed hold of his sword and tried to lower it away from Leanbow, resulting in the blast from his sword missing Leanbow and hitting a tree as Leanbow ducked away. Nick growled as his glare shifted to Madison.

"You foolish little girl!" He yelled as his hand clamped down on hers and twisted it back, making her stumble backwards.

"Maddie!" Vida yelled.

"Nick, stop it!" Shouted Leanbow. Nick looked back at his father and saw him standing there in his red armor.

"Ah, finally," Nick sneered. He shoved Madison away, making her fall down as he focused his attention to his father. "Finally got the nerve to fight me, huh?" Leanbow said nothing as the two engaged in an intense battle, their swords clanking at first, the two evenly matched. But it soon became apparent that Nick was getting the upper hand as he was driving his father backwards, with Leanbow only able to block his blows. Leanbow fell back onto the ground, weak from Nick's earlier blast and the fight. Nick laughed as he stood over him. "Goodbye, dad," he said, raising his sword up.

"No!" Madison exclaimed as she got in between them, causing Nick to step back.

"And just what do you think you're doing, weakling?" Nick growled.

"I'm not going to let you hurt your father. The Nick I know wouldn't do this."

"Well, newsflash girlie, the Nick you know ain't here anymore," Nick growled. Madison shook her head.

"No, you're wrong," she said. "Nick, I know you're still in there. You can fight the master's hold, I know you can." Leanbow slowly rose to his feet.

"She's right, son. You can fight this. That is the meaning of true power."

"Shut up!" Nick yelled, stepping back and aiming his sword at them.

"Look out!" Leanbow yelled as he shoved Madison away, making her roll onto her knees away from him on the ground seconds before a blast him, sending him sprawling on his back by the others, his armor disappearing.

"Leanbow!" Madison exclaimed. Nick growled as he charged at her, his armor clad hand enclosing around her neck as he slammed her against a tree.

"You're proving to be a bigger nuisance than I expected," Nick snarled. Madison fought to breathe around the tight grip on her neck and stared directly at him.

"Nick……..please…………you……….can…………..fight this……." She gasped out. She weakly put a hand on the one grasping her neck. "I believe in you." Something seemed to change in him in that moment. She felt his armored fingers loosen around her neck until his grasp was so slack that Madison slid out of it and onto the ground, coughing as she inhaled. She looked up at Nick and saw him stumbling away, weakly.

"No……." He murmured, putting his hands on his head. "Ahhh!" He yelled, falling onto his knees. He gave one last pained shout before the purple armor seemed to pour out of him as a black cloud appeared above him and floated away. Once the cloud was gone, Nick fell face first onto the ground.

"Nick!" Madison exclaimed worriedly, scrambling to her feet. The others were just then getting up, with Xander and Daggeron supporting a weak Leanbow. Madison rushed to Nick's side, gently turning him over onto his back, and seeing he was unconscious. "Oh no, Nick…" Madison breathed. Nick's brows furrowed as he opened his eyes.

"Maddie?" He questioned, looking up at her with a dazed and confused expression on his features. Madison gave a slight relieved sigh and smiled gently at him. Suddenly, Nick bolted up into a sitting position. "Oh god, dad……..where…….Where's my dad?" He asked, panic etched in his voice. He looked over and saw Leanbow with Daggeron and Xander. Nick quickly got up to his feet and ran over to him. "Oh god, dad……………I thought I…………I………." He stammered, feeling a lump in his throat. Leanbow stepped away from Daggeron and Xander and got closer to Nick.

"It's all right, son," he said. Nick hugged his father tightly.

"I thought I killed you………….." he said, the fear and panic still in his voice.

"It's all right, son, you're back now, that's all that matters," Leanbow said, trying to sooth his son.

-----

Madison sat alone in one of the chairs at the back of Rootcore, staring out in front of her. It had been only an hour since the battle with Nick, and she felt like she was still reeling from it. Not too long ago, Leanbow and Daggeron left after the Snow Price arrived, telling them the Master and destroyed the Mystic Mother, which of course was even more to contemplate and try to understand while she sat there, just waiting until she and the others had to go and deal with the remaining Terrors.

"Maddie?" She heard someone say. She blinked and looked over, seeing Nick standing at the doorway to the room.

"Nick, hey," she said.

"Mind if I sit?" He asked cautiously. Madison could hear a certain amount of fear in his voice and she quickly realized he was worried that she might not want him near, given what had happened. She gave him a warm smile and nodded. Nick took one of the nearby chairs and pulled it closer to her and sat down.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm okay………I guess," Nick said. "No…….that's not true. I'm……..angry………scared………I don't know….." He took a deep breath. "I'm angry that the master did that to me……….made me hurt all of you guys………..and the villagers……….and………"

"And what?" Madison asked.

"I'm scared……….I………..all that power…….I liked it too much…….I just-" He was cut off by Madison putting a hand on his.

"Nick, that wasn't you," she said gently. "The master took over your entire being. You had no control over what was happening. It wasn't you liking what was going on. That was the Master making you like it." Nick sighed.

"I guess," he said. "I guess now I understand what it must've been like for my dad. Having to do things even though a part of you wishes you could stop," he mused gently. Madison squeezed his hand. Nick shook his head, as if clearing himself of those thoughts. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I'm okay," Madison smiled. She looked up and saw him looking at her sadly. "Nick? What is it?" She asked, shifting in her seat so she faced him directly.

"I……I'm sorry," he said. "For hurting you…….I…….."

"Nick," Madison said, cutting him off. "It wasn't you. And like your dad said before, you're back, you fought aganist the Master's hold on you and you won. That's all that matters now." She said, she gave him a bright smile, hoping it might cheer him up. Nick gave her a half smile and nodded gently.

"All right," he said. He sighed and got up. "I better go check on my mom, I'm worried all the stuff that's gone on today is taking it's toll on her." Madison nodded and watched him walk to the doorway. He paused and turned back to her. "Maddie," he said.

"Hmm?" She asked.

"I………I just………..wanted to say thanks," he said.

"For what?" She asked.

"For helping me fight the Master's control," he said. "I don't think I would've...well……I don't know if I would've been able to make it back, without you." Madison blushed at the praise.

"Nick….I didn't do anything," she said.

"Yeah, you did, Maddie," he said, smiling warmly at her. "You helped me remember what true power really is. It's not strength……It's having the will to keep fighting." He grinned gently as he saw her blush intensify. "I better go," he said, turning and leaving the room. Madison watched him leave with a small smile on her lips.


	16. Time

Summary: Is it possible to grow to hate the consistent passing of time?

Note: Takes place some weeks after the end of Mystic Fate.

2nd Note: Sorry for not updating in such a long time, was suffering from some writers block.

3rd Note: Sorry for the not-so-short length too, heh. Well, a long chapter should make up for not updating in such a long while, right? Heh.

4th Note: This story is more Madison/Vida (not in **that **way, you pervs). It deals with their sisterly connection. It does have to do with Nick, but right now I'm focusing on Madison's support system, especially Vida.

4th note: This is the first of a mini saga that's going to go on within the themes. All it means is this and the next few chapters/themes/stories will be connected. I'll make note of this at the beginning of each chapter, just figured I'd point that out now as well.

----

Time

Madison stared blankly as a customer spoke to her about a new CD they were looking for.

"Miss?" The older woman spoke. "Hello?" She said, catching note of Madison's blank stare. Madison blinked as her eyes focused ahead of her.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry," Madison said as she sheepishly cleared her throat. "Uh…what were you saying?" She asked. Not too far away, Xander looked on, giving Madison a sympathetic look. She'd been like a walking zombie for the past few weeks. There was no question as to where her head would go when she zoned out like that: Nick. No one had heard from him since he left town with his parents to see his……well, other parents. Everyone clung to the hope that Nick would hold true to the unspoken promise he had made before leaving, stating that he would return, for Madison's sake more than anything else. Xander sighed, shaking his head as he approached Madison and the customer. He stepped beside his friend and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Maddie," he said in a soft tone. "Why don't you go take your break, I'll help this lovely woman," he said, giving the customer a wink, hoping his charm would eased the annoyance the woman had over the seemingly inept sales person. It seemed to work as the woman's scowl was replaced with a small smile and a coquettish round of blinks. Madison gave Xander a relieved look before going to the back room of the store. She was happy to see it was empty and she'd be free from the others' sympathetic glances and comforting embraces. She knew they all meant well but it was now starting to border on annoying. She almost wished one of them would get annoyed with her and scream at her, tell her to quit being such a pathetic mess and get it through her head that Nick wasn't coming back. Maybe then she'd face reality herself instead of spending her days staring out her window, as if she'd see Nick's motorcycle coming round the bend.

Madison sighed as she sat at the desk, picking her backpack from the floor. Opening it up, she pulled the red blanket she kept in there. Ever since Nick had given it to her before leaving, she had carried it with her practically everywhere she went, on the off chance that that'll be when Nick reappears. She wanted to have the blanket on hand to give to him the second he dismounted his bike, just seconds before she'd jump in his arms.

Madison held the folded up blanket on her lap as she leaned back in the chair, picking at the edges as if to remove some unseen lint from the material. She looked around the room, her eyes falling on the small clock that hung from the opposite wall. Her eyes narrowed at the item as it clicked away. After a week passed without a word from Nick, Madison began to have a giant dislike for clocks, watches, calendars and any other ways of measuring the passage of time. It just shoved how much time had passed since Nick was last seen right in her face. With each passing day, hour and minute, it was as if time was mocking her by continuing to pass with no word from Nick. This is why Madison had now grown to hate time and its different minions like clocks and calendars.

It was a weird relationship, what Madison had now developed with Time. At times, she hated it for its inability to bring Nick back into town and into her arms. But at times she cherished it. The only time this occurred was when she had to work or Vida and the others had dragged her out in an attempted to get her out of her funk. She'd eagerly wait until it was time to clock out, or until enough time had passed with her friends when she could come up with a good enough reason to excuse herself from the outing. The only reason she welcomed this form of Time was because it allowed her to return to her perch by her window, staring out onto the horizon, waiting for Nick.

"Maddie," she heard a soft voice speak. Madison looked over to see Vida standing at the entrance to the room. She closed the door as she approached her sister. Madison rolled her eyes at the sympathetic look her sister wore on her face. "Are you okay?" Vida asked. She knew it was useless to ask, since every time someone asked that question, Madison would simply nod and say she was fine.

"Uh huh, yeah I'm fine," Madison said. Vida sighed, not surprised.

"Right, you just enjoy staring off to space when customers are talking to you," Vida muttered. Madison sighed.

"Then why did you ask if you already know I'm not fine?" Madison replied.

"Mads," Vida said, imploringly. "Come on, we all hate seeing you like this. You're miserable."

"Thank you for the brilliant observation," Madison sighed. Vida closed her eyes. She didn't like the tone her sister had. Madison was never one to be this sarcastic. It was all this time spent waiting for Nick, it had changed her, and not for the best. Vida silently sent a slew of obscenities to wherever the former red ranger was, cursing him for having this affect on Madison and never even bothering to call or email. Vida sighed, a rush of resolve going through her as she stomped over to the other side of the desk, standing over to Madison. Madison simply sat there, looking down at the red blanket on her lap. Vida suddenly felt like a cartoon bull, getting even more angered by the sight of the red item.

"Give me that," Vida said, reaching for the blanket. Madison's eyes sprang open as her hold tightened on the blanket.

"No," she said. Vida groaned and tried to pull the blanket away from her. The two girls erupted in a tug of war match as they fought over the blanket, the intensity of the fight pulling Madison to her feet as she tried to gain some leverage in her fight. The sisters shouted and grunted as they fought over the blanket. By this time, Chip, Xander, and Leelee had come into the room after hearing all the commotion.

"Madison, let go!" Vida exclaimed, trying to pull the blanket.

"No! Stop it!" Madison replied. Vida quit her pulling but kept a firm hold on the item.

"It's time to face the facts, Madison," Vida said, staring her sister in the eye. "Nick isn't coming back."

"You don't know that!" Madison exclaimed. "He'll come back, and when he does, you're going to feel really stupid." She gave a look to the others who were looking at her. She could tell from their gazes that they agreed with Vida. "You all will," she said, barely above a whisper. Madison gave another tug to the blanket. Vida sighed; releasing the material and letting Madison have it. Madison quickly folded it up again. She turned away from Vida as she held the blanket to her chest.

"No, Maddie," Vida said softly. "No one's going to feel stupid. Want to know why?" She asked as she approached Madison.

"Vida, maybe you should back off," Chip said gently. Sure, everyone had seen how upset Madison had been but favored not to prod her too much on the issue for fear of pushing her over the edge. Vida didn't pay him any mind as she put a hand on Madison's shoulder.

"No one's going to feel stupid because he's not coming back." Madison closed her eyes as tears collected in her eyes. As much as she had wished someone had made her face reality, now that it was happening, it hurt her. "I'm sorry Madison, but you've got to face the truth."

"Shut up," Madison whispered. "Just…shut up," she spun back to her sister, her tears falling freely from her eyes. "He _is _coming back, you'll see," she said stubbornly.

"Madison," Vida pleaded. "I-" her words were cut off by Madison's hand flying across Vida's face. The room fell silent as Vida's head swung to the side from impact. The room fell silent as Vida touched her stinging cheek. Leelee, Chip and Xander were too shocked to even gasp. Vida brought her eyes back to Madison, whose own eyes now had fresh tears as she stared at her in shock.

"Oh…" Madison whispered softly. "Vida…I…..I'm so sorry…….I didn't…" her voice trailed off as she sobbed gently. She dropped the blanket onto the floor and ran to Vida, wrapping her arms around her. "I'm so sorry," she cried. Vida sighed as she returned the hug.

"It's okay," she said. Xander, Chip and Leelee all looked at each other, deciding to let the sisters make up in private. They quietly left the room, closing the door behind them.

"I can't believe he…….he's never coming back," Madison whimpered. Vida gently rubbed her sister's back before pulling away gently so that they were looking at each other. Madison looked at her, tears continuing to fall down her face. Her eyes were empty hopeless. Vida hated it, and hated even more that she was the one who made the doubts enter Madison's mind.

"Hey," Vida said softly, giving her sister a soft smile. "Maybe I'm wrong," she said. "Maybe he will come back and I'll feel really stupid." Madison gave a soft rueful chuckle as she wiped at her eyes.

"Thanks for saying that," she said. "But…you're right. He's not coming back." She said. She bent down and picked up the discarded blanket. "I bet he never had any intention of coming back…and just gave this to me so he didn't have to lug it on his trip…or mess with me." She walked pass Vida as she made her way to the nearby trashcan. She took a deep breath as she dropped the blanket in the bin before walking back to the desk. Vida sighed.

"Madison," she spoke. "You and I both know Nick's not the type to mess with anyone, especially not you," she said. She went over and picked the blanket out of the trash. "And I really don't think he gave it to you so he didn't have to 'lug' it around." She shook the blanket gently, letting some crumbs and things that had gotten on it during its brief time in the trash fall back to the garbage. She went over to her sister and handed her back the blanket. "You should hold onto this," she said, handing the blanket over.

"Just a minute ago you were ready to pry it out of my fingers," Madison said, confusion etching her voice. Vida nodded.

"Because I was frustrated," Vida stated. "I hate the way waiting for Nick has made you change. I want my sister back." Madison looked down, taking in her words.

"I'm sorry," she said. She took a deep breath. "Okay, I promise…the old Madison will come back….Even if stupid head Nick won't," she muttered. Vida smiled, pulling her sister into a hug.

"Good," she said. She let her go as Madison looked down at the blanket.

"What am I going to do with this?" She wondered aloud. Vida put an arm around her.

"Keep it in your closet, I guess," Vida offered. "Just…stop carrying it around all the time. It's not going to help the old Maddie come out and play." Madison smiled. She nodded as she put the blanket back in her bag.

"She will come back," Madison promised. "Just….I….It's going to take a little time," she said. Vida nodded and put her arm around her sister again.

"You let the old Maddie have as much time as she needs," Vida encouraged. "As long as you let us speed up the process by dragging your butt out the house every now and then," she grinned. Madison laughed and nodded.

"I can live with that," she said.

"Good," Vida said. "Because it's not like you had much of a choice." Madison laughed again. The two sisters returned out to the front of the store and continued the rest of their shift.

---

"See ya guys!" He heard Vida call behind her as she walked out of the Rockporium, closely followed by Madison. The two girls chatted idly as they walked to Vida's jeep. He pulled his helmet off, sitting on his motorcycle as he watched the two climb into the jeep. He watched as Madison laughed at something Vida said. He wished he was a little closer so he could be could hear the soft sweet sound loud and clear. With all the time that had passed, the sound of her laugh had begun to fade in his memory. That thought alone told him it was time to come back, come back to her. He wished he could be reminded of her smile, her laugh, her voice. But now wasn't the time.

Nick sighed as he pulled his helmet back on and tapped the kickstand with his foot before revving up his bike, the sound muffled as Vida sprang her Jeep to life, the sound of the engine filling the air. Nick pulled his feet up as he turned his bike, driving away from The Rockporium. Driving away from Madison.

---

The movement behind them didn't go unnoticed by Vida as Madison talked beside her. She caught the sight of the motorcycle speeding away in the rearview mirror. Deep in her heart, she knew exactly who it was. She thought of grabbing Madison's shoulder, stopping her mid-sentence and making her look behind them, but decided against it. After the huge breakthrough they had achieved that day, the last thing Madison needed was to see Nick's retreating motorcycle.

"Vida?" Madison asked beside her. "You know, just turning on the car alone won't make it go," she said, smiling a bit.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, just spaced out for a sec," Vida said. She quickly pulled out of the parking space as she drove the car home, all the while justifying her reasons for not pointing Nick out to Madison: It wasn't the time. These thoughts were intermingled with the silent prayer that Nick stayed away and didn't further hurt her sister. _You want to runaway? Fine, just stay away. Stay away for as long, and for as much time, as you want. Just stay the hell away from Madison, _she thought to herself.


	17. Impression

Summary: Vida faces Nick with how she sees his actions, while Nick unleashes some impressions of his own.

Note: Continuation of the last theme, "Time".

2nd Note: This chapter explores the Vida & Madison sisterly dynamic, the Vida & Nick friendship dynamic with Madison/Nick as a strict undertone for now.

3rd Note: Special thanks to Toffy for giving me, in his/her review, the perfect way for Vida to realize Madison needs to see Nick.

---

Impression

A few days had passed since Vida saw Nick outside of the Rockporium. In the days that had passed, she had kept mum about seeing him in her rearview mirror to everyone, not just Madison. She feared that the more who knew about it, the more chance it'd get back to Madison.

As days went on, Vida and the others noticed the return of the old Madison. She was starting to be more engaged with the others, not dwelling so much on Nick and whether or not he'd return. She had taken Vida's advice and kept the blanket in the furthest corner of her closet, hoping to adopt an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude about it. As long as she didn't look upon the blanket, she wouldn't think about it and all the other thoughts that came with it. This form of logic seemed to work for the most part, but there were times that she couldn't help thinking of him and wondering if waiting for him to come back was truly hopeless.

As Madison was busy trying to recover her former happy self, Vida now was the one dwelling on Nick as she wondered why Nick had returned and why he seemed to be hiding. Sure, with Madison's emotions just starting to mend somewhat, she'd rather he stayed away and not hurt her, but she couldn't help wonder why he was staying away. In her wondering, her mind went to possibilities. Her current distaste for Nick had her mind going to the less positive possibilities as she became convinced Nick had returned to further torture her darling sister. This was something Vida would have none of and decided it was her job as Madison's sister to ensure that Nick didn't get any ideas in his cruel little mind before he made an appearance at The Rockporium or, even worse, their front door.

It was with this thought in mind that Vida gave an excuse to Madison and her friends, telling them she was going to pick up some DJ equipment in the next town over, and decided it was time to track down Nick. Madison offered to go with her but Vida countered that the equipment would take up all the available space in the car so she'd have to go on her own. Once she had herself a good enough alibi in Madison and the others' minds, she set to find Nick. She swung by his adoptive sister's house, but saw no sign of his motorcycle and figured he was not there. After that, she tried the Mystic Forest.

After walking around the village, where she ran into and spoke briefly with Daggeron and Itasis, she ventured to Rootcore. She slowly entered the place she used to see as her 2nd home and base of operations. She walked in, looking around the seemingly empty space.

"Vida!" She heard someone exclaim. She looked up to see Clare standing at the top of the stairs, a large smile on her face. Vida returned the smile as Clare scurried down the stairs and ran to her, embracing her in a big hug. Vida laughed as she returned the hug.

"It's good to see you too, Clare," Vida said. Clare laughed a bit as she released her.

"How are you?" Clare asked excitedly.

"All right, and you?" Vida asked, her eyes idly looking around to see if there was anyone else around.

"Oh, a whole lot better now that Udonna, Leanbow and Nick are back," Clare stated. This brought Vida's eyes back to Clare.

"Oh?" She said. Clare nodded.

"Yeah, don't get me wrong, it's great being a full fledged sorceress now, but it was just weird not having Udonna around." Vida nodded.

"I see. Hey, they wouldn't happen to be here, would they?" She asked.

"Udonna and Leanbow are out for a walk around the woods, but Nick's upstairs in his room," she said. With that, she turned her head towards the upstairs level of the 'house'. "Nick! You've got a visitor!" She called. She turned back to Vida. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat but I actually need to go pick some stickleberries," Clare stated apologetically. Vida gave her friend a dismissive smile.

"Don't worry," she said. "We can catch up later," she said. Clare gave her once last smile before making her way to the door, picking up a basket on the way out. As Clare left, Vida's attention was drawn to Nick, dressed in an outfit similar to the brown leather outfits Daggeron wore, came out of one of the rooms upstairs. He came to the top of the stairs, smiling as he saw Vida.

"Vida, hey," he said as he went down the stairs. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he approached her as if going to hug her. "It's so good to see-"

"Cut the crap," Vida said bluntly, making Nick stop. "I saw you the other day." Nick paused, his arms going to his side.

"Oh," he responded. Vida crossed his arms.

"Yeah, 'oh'," she said. Nick scratched the back of his neck.

"Uh, sorry I haven't gone to see you guys or let you all know I'm back. Just been busy-"

"Hiding?" Vida asked. "Plotting?" She went on. Nick's brows furrowed.

"Plotting?" He asked. "What are you talking about?" Vida quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, you know, plotting the best way to hurt my sister," she said. Now Nick was truly confused.

"What?" He asked.

"So, what happened? Did you meet some chickie while you were away? Thought you'd pop by the Rockporium with her and flaunt it in poor Maddie's face?" Nick's eyes widened at that.

"What?" Nick asked.

"Would you please stop saying 'what'?" Vida barked.

"I will as soon as you start making sense," Nick replied. "Now, what in the world are you talking about? What makes you think I want to hurt Madison?" Vida rolled her eyes.

"Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that you've **been **hurting her?" Vida replied. Nick froze.

"I've been what?" She asked. Vida fixed him with a steely glare.

"What else would you call leaving almost six months ago, never contacting her or anyone else?"

"I…" Nick's voice trailed off as he tried to think of what to say.

"What else would you call giving her your stupid blanket, making her believe you might actually come back and be with her?"

"I-"

"And what do you call making her sit at her window every goddamn day as she looks out to the street hoping to see your stupid motorcycle coming around the corner?" As Vida spoke, Nick felt himself getting smaller and smaller. He sighed and went over to the large table in the center of the room. He faced the table, placing his hands on the surface as he leaned on the object.

"Did I…Did I really do all that?" He asked.

"Yes, so glad I could give you your little ego boost. I hope it was enough and you don't have to bug Madison to inflate it even further," Vida hissed. Nick's eyes widened as he spun around to face her.

"That's why you think I'm here?" He asked, astonished. "Do you honestly believe seeing her hurt would do anything to my ego, other than make me feel like a complete and utter shit head for making her feel this way?"

"Well, what other explanation is there?" Vida asked.

"Oh, maybe, just maybe, the little fact that I love her!" Nick snapped. Vida opened her mouth to reply, only to quickly shut it. She opened it again, only to close it again as she tried to think of what to say. She had been so prepared to give him a verbal, and possible psychical if need be, beating…never did it once occur to her that he'd say something like that.

"What?" Was all she could think to say. Nick sighed as he turned back to the table. Vida slowly approached him, stopping about a foot away from him. "You love her?" She asked. Nick only nodded. Vida's eyes narrowed as she threw her hands up in frustration. "Then why the hell didn't you tell her before you left? Give her some hope that you'd actually be coming back. Or if that was too hard, call her and tell her that you loved her…or at least tell her you were coming back."

"I didn't know what to say," Nick said. He turned back to her. "Besides, I kind of thought the conversation we had kind of told her how I felt." He said. Vida looked at him like he was a total idiot.

"What?" She asked. She recalled what Madison had told her about the conversation. "You mean hinting that you wanted something or someone to come back to, therefore making her admit she wants you to come back for her, then not really giving a concrete implication on whether or not she's who you want to come back for as you just give her your blanket and ride off into the horizon?" Vida asked.

"Well, when you say it like that…" Nick muttered.

"You could've told her," Vida said. Nick sighed.

"Right, how would that sound? 'I love you. Oh, and by the way, I'm leaving town. See ya'. Yeah, I really don't think that would've worked." Vida rolled her eyes.

"Okay, fine, you could've called her."

"I didn't want the first time I told her I love her to be over the phone," Nick stated.

"Well that allows for two things you could've done—not stay away so long, or not leave at all," Vida said.

"I had to go," Nick said. "I had to see my adoptive parents and tell them everything that's happened. And….I stayed away because, well, my parents…..both birth and adoptive….needed time to get used to this idea of what all of this meant. I mean my adoptive parents had to get used to the fact that I'm some mystic warrior and that my birth parents are in the picture, and my birth parents needed to get used to the fact that they just might have to share me with my adoptive parents. I had to play mediator to make sure neither group felt like they were losing their son," Nick explained. He sighed. "Yeah, I should've called…..I guess…….I didn't know what to say……..and I was afraid."

"Of what?" Vida asked. Nick shrugged.

"That she found someone else," Nick said. "She didn't….did she?" He asked. Vida rolled her eyes as her hand smacked him upside the head. "Ow!"

"Of course she didn't. She's been too busy pinning over you to take time to even notice any other guys exist, let alone get a relationship with them."

"So…She still…wants me?" He asked. Seeing this unsure side of Nick was creeping Vida out immensely. Even when he had doubts of his ranger abilities, Nick still had at least some sense of confidence about him. It was now nowhere to be seen. He quickly recoiled when he saw Vida roll her eyes. "Don't hit me again." Vida sighed.

"Yes, you idiot, she still wants you. Whether or not you deserve her remains to be seen, though," she said. "Why didn't you come talk to her the other day? I know you saw us." Nick sighed.

"Didn't know what to say. I had been thinking up things to say and do on the way to town but…..the second I saw you two walk out of the store, it all just……went away." Nick sighed. "I _am_ an idiot," he grumbled.

"Yeah, especially if you actually are spending all your energy on some grand entrance or speech to sweep her off her feet and not realizing that you just showing up will do that just as effectively," Vida replied. She had come into Rootcore ready to give Nick a piece of her mind, and had done so for the most part. But now that she knew of Nick's own perils and thoughts, she couldn't help pity him and want to help him as best she could. Her mind was brought out of her own thoughts as she heard Nick sigh beside her.

"So, does Madison know I'm back?" Nick asked. Vida shook her head.

"I didn't tell her, or anyone else for that matter. I didn't know what your intentions were and figured it was best she didn't know until I did know why you were here….or until after I pounded you within an inch of your life," she added, giving him a smirk.

"Glad to hear I'm avoiding a pounding….I am, right?" Nick chuckled. Vida laughed.

"I haven't decided yet," she mused playfully. Nick rolled his eyes.

"Are you going to tell her?" Nick asked. Vida thought about this for a moment before shaking her head.

"No," she said. "The only one who can make her believe you're really here and she can stop missing you, is you. You're the only one who can make her happy. Sure, the others and I can cheer her up momentarily, and we've done so any time we could, but it's temporary. You're the only one who can bring back the Maddie we all know and love," she said, resigning herself to the fact that as much as Madison was trying to be her old self, she wasn't. They'd need Nick to really make her come back. Nick stood back and took in her words, feeing hopeful in not only knowing that Madison missed him, but that he had, what seemed like, an ally in Vida.

"So, what do I do?" He asked. Vida sighed as she leaned against the table beside him.

"Good question," she said as the two pondered the next move.


	18. Helm

Summary: Just as Madison feels she's gotten control over her emotions, she see's Nick.

Note: This is the 3rd part of the mini saga. Takes place a few days after "Impression".

----

Helm

Over a week had passed since Vida and Madison had had there little confrontation at the Rockporium and since then, Madison had been doing her best to let go of Nick. She'd made some progress in the days that had gone by, letting the others draw her out more, not sitting by her window as much as before, and trying her best to smile as much as she could. She actually felt confident and in control of her emotions. Like she finally found the way back to the helm of the ship inside her, controlling which way the ship went instead of sitting back and letting the waves take it into depressing territory.

Madison's attempts to regain her former self had not been lost on the others. Xander, Chip, Leelee, Phineas and Toby all saw the changes for the better that were occurring and were happy for her. Vida, on the other hand, saw her attempts to be happy yet also knew that her happiness wouldn't come as naturally as it did before until she had some closure on Nick. And she knew just the way for them to get that.

---

"Vida, I really don't think I need all this," Madison squirmed a bit as Vida held a curling iron to her hair. They were going out to a club with Xander and Chip that evening. Leelee and Phineas had been invited along but had bowed out since they had plans for a double date with Toby and Nikki. Vida shuddered a bit at the thought of having a double date with her mother, and wondered how Leelee could do it.

"Aw come on, its fun to look all stylish," Vida replied. "Now, hold still or I'll burn your scalp," she warned. Madison sighed and obeyed her twin sister. Her eyes looked at the mirror ahead of them, seeing what Vida had talked her into. She had originally wanted to just wear jeans and a moderately nice looking top, not bothering much with make up or hair, but the second Vida saw her, she insisted she put a little more effort for her look tonight, stating she never knew what could happen. Madison had rolled her eyes, figuring her sister wanted her to flirt with some guy in the club to further get over Nick. Instead of getting into a long conversation stating how much that wasn't something she wanted to do, she figured to just humor what she thought her sister wanted as far as her appearance went. What she didn't know was that all of this was part of Vida's plan for a perfect reunion between her and Nick.

Vida had picked out a blue silvery halter top that had dipped down into a V in the front that, though it did not show off any more cleavage that Madison was comfortable with showing (that being none), it gave her an elegant flow about her. The outfit also consisted of a matching short skirt. The ensemble had been a gift from Vida that she had given Madison a year ago for their birthday. When Vida had first given the outfit to her as a present, Madison had made a face and put it in her closet. That face was pretty much the same one she had bore when Vida pulled it out of the closet for her to wear just two hours before. Madison begrudgingly showered and changed into the outfit, sitting still as Vida did her make up. She had but dramatic tones on Madison's eyes, accenting them even more with a few touches of glitter on her cheeks and up to her temples, almost reaching around her eyes. That and the soft coral lipstick gave Madison a sort of mermaid-like look about her as Vida now curled a few sections of Madison's hair to give it a wavy look before finishing up her own look that consisted of black jeans and a plain pink halter top that bared a little bit of her mid drift, her short hair done up in soft spikes with all that left to be done was her own makeup.

"All right, you're all done," Vida said as she placed the curling iron down and patted Madison's shoulders. "Now move so I can finish getting ready." She said, sending her sister's reflection a small smile from the mirror. Madison nodded and stood up from the vanity as Vida took the seat and applied her own makeup that consisted of pink eye shadow and matching lipstick. Once she was done, she and Madison grabbed their purses as Vida picked up her car keys as they made their way to meet the guys at the club.

Within ten minutes, the girls arrived at the club, parking the jeep close to where she saw Xander had parked his car. They walked in to find Xander and Chip, dressed similarly in black slacks and green and orange shirts, respectively, had found them a table. Vida called out to them and waved as they approached the table, sitting across from the two of them.

"I can't believe you guys were able to get a table," Madison said over the music as she looked around the club. It wasn't extremely packed but it had enough people that all the other tables not only had occupants, but had a few people standing close enough to the tables as they waited for the current occupants to get up to dance or get drinks that they could snag the table for themselves.

"Pure luck," Xander said with a grin.

"More like pure speed," Chip stated. "We dashed over here before anyone else could." The girls laughed. The four friends chatted as they sipped sodas they had ordered, generally having themselves a good time. As usual, Xander separated from the group as some pretty young thing in a short skirt caught his eye. Chip, Vida and Madison watched him with amused expressions as they enjoyed their glasses of coke. After some time observing Xander chat up the girl, Vida glanced at her watch before shifting her eyes to the door. Chip looked at her and leaned towards her.

"Expecting someone?" He asked. Vida looked at him. Even over the loud music, she could detect a tone of jealousy in his tone. Vida grinned, blushing a bit at his possessiveness. She and Chip hadn't made any steps to defining their relationship in anyway, mostly because Vida felt her happily dating someone while Madison was pinning over Nick seemed like absolute cruelty. But since they're tenure as rangers had ended, Vida and Chip had been indulging in some discrete flirtatious looks and touches.

"No," she replied. Chip nodded, happy. "Want to dance?" She asked. Chip grinned and nodded again. He looked at Madison.

"Come join us," he encouraged. Though he wanted to be with Vida, he didn't want to leave Madison all alone. Madison smiled and shook her head.

"You guys go ahead," she said.

"You sure?" Chip asked. Madison nodded. Vida stood up and took Chip's hand, pulling him to his feet.

"Come on," she said, pulling him along as she made her way to the dance floor. Chip obediently followed her. Madison smiled softly as she watched her sister and Chip find a spot on the dance floor and start to dance. She chuckled a bit as she saw Chip go into some sort of dance that could only best be described as the robot. Vida smiled and copied his movements, the two looking both incredibly dorky and incredibly cute together. She frowned a bit as she found herself wishing it was her and Nick dancing like that. She sighed, staring into her soda as she stirred the ice with her straw.

Over on the dance floor, after some time doing the robot with Chip, Vida sighed. She stopped and pulled him closer to her so they were now moving against each other. She liked this dance much better—less embarrassing, more intimate. Chip seemed to catch her idea and put his arms around her waist as they danced. Vida looked over to Madison and frowned a bit, not liking the dejected look on her sister's face.

"Should we go back to the table?" Chip asked in Vida's ear, catching sight of Madison. Vida opened her mouth to reply but stopped, smiling a bit as she saw a certain figure walk in the door. "Oh my gosh," she heard Chip exclaim, surprised. "Is that……Nick?" She felt Chip release her to walk away but was stopped by Vida grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

"Just wait," she said. Chip looked at her, reading her like an open book.

"You knew he was coming," he said. He didn't need to ask, the look in her eyes told him. Vida simply smiled.

Across the club, Nick entered the club Vida had told him to come to dressed in jeans and a red shirt. He held a single rose in his hand, stopping at the entrance as he scanned the club for signs of his friends. He caught sight of Vida and Chip. Chip simply stood there, unsure what was going on as Vida jutted her head to the side; gesturing, directing him somewhere. Nick followed her gestures and saw Madison sitting alone at one of the tables. He stood there for a second, his breath catching in his throat at not only seeing her after all this time, but at how beautiful she looked. The strobe lights in the club reflected off the glitter on her face and outfit, making her have an ethereal blue glow all around her. Nick took a deep breath and walked over to the table, coming to a stop at her side. Madison, detecting a presence beside her looked up from her cup. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she saw him. Nick smiled down at her.

"Hey Maddie," he said softly, not thinking that she probably didn't hear him over the music. Madison blinked as she slowly rose to her feet.

"Nick?" She spoke, unsure. "Is it really you?" She asked. Nick's smile widened.

"It's me," he said.

Over at the dance floor, Vida and Chip watched the two intently.

"She's so shocked," Chip noted. Vida smiled.

"He got her a rose, how sweet," she said. Both parties stopped in utter shock and confusion as they saw Madison swiftly pick up her glass of soda and splash it in his face.

"That….can't be good," Chip said.

Nick sputtered, shocked as the cold drink hit his face and dripped down to his shirt. He wiped at his face with his free hand. He opened his eyes to see Madison glaring at him, the now empty soda glass clenched in her hand.

"Madison…" he spoke, unsure what was going on.

"You show up now….after all this time….right when I'm trying to go back to who I used to be……now's when you decide to come back?" She hissed. Nick blinked. This was not the greeting he'd expected at all. Before Nick could get his bearings and respond, he felt Madison's shoulder slam against his as she briskly walked past him, leaving the club.


	19. Pride

Summary: Madison holds onto her pride, even though she does want to listen to Nick.

Note: Picks up right where "Helm" left off.

---

Pride

Madison wrapped her arms around herself as she walked away from the club, angry tears stinging her eyes. She couldn't believe it. Nick was there. Nick had returned. He was back…….and she just threw her drink in his face and walked away. Madison stopped a little past the end of the line of people trying to get in the club.

"I can't believe I did that," she whispered to herself. She shook her head. He deserved it, her mind rationalized. With that thought, she set her shoulders back and continued walking. She had no idea where she was going. Vida had the car keys and there was no way Madison could walk home. The distance was too much even in sneakers, trying to huff it in these god awful high heeled sandals that Vida had convinced her to wear would be insane. Madison didn't care, her anger fueled her steps and she didn't care where they took her. As she walked down the block, her mind wandered to what had just happened and she again stopped as she remembered Nick had been holding a rose in his hand. Was the rose for her? Should she go back? Apologize? Madison furiously shook her head. He didn't deserve to be heard out, she told herself.

"Maddie!" She heard someone call as she went to continue her walking. She froze, giving Nick amble time to catch up to her. "Madison," Nick huffed, she could hear him fighting to catch his breath from his running.

"What do you want, Nick?" She said, her back still to him. She refused to let him see the tears trickling down her cheeks. Nick slowly walked up behind her, putting a hand on her bare shoulder. He felt Madison stiffen under his touch. It broke his heart and made him pull his hand away.

"Maddie, I'm sorry," he said. Madison gave out a rueful, angry chuckle.

"Sorry for what? For hurting me? For making me waste all these months waiting for you? For coming back?" She spat out. She stopped, chastising herself for letting him know his absence had affected her so much. Nick closed his eyes as he took in her words.

"All of the above," he said. "I mean, except the last one," he said. "I'm not going to apologize for coming back," he stated firmly. Madison turned and looked at him. Nick took a step back, taken aback by her appearance. She had tears making dark tracks on her face as they made her mascara and eyeliner run down her cheeks. It destroyed the ethereal water goddess look she had had just minutes before, and Nick hated himself for that, knowing it was his fault. "I never meant to hurt you," he whispered, still at a lost by how upset she was. He had expected Madison to be happy. At least that's the impression he'd gotten from Vida. He thought she'd smile, hug him, and the only tears in her eyes would be that of happiness.

"Well, whether you meant it or not, you did," she snapped. She closed her eyes, groaning as her pride lost to her impulse again. "Goodbye Nick," she said before turning on her heel as she went to walk away. Her exit might've been at least moderately graceful, had it not been for her heel catching in a crack on the sidewalk. She gasped as her knee jerked as she fought to keep her balance. It was a losing battle as she felt herself falling. The feeling was brief as two arms came around her. One caught her by the waist as the other grabbed her arm, stopping her mid descent. Madison blinked as she realized she hadn't hit the pavement. She looked over to see Nick behind her, holding her in her crouched, mid-fall position. She looked down to see the rose lying on the sidewalk by his feet. She realized he'd not only still had it with him when he ran after her, but had hastily dropped it to keep her from falling. Madison slowly looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. Her breath caught in her throat as she lost herself in the orbs staring back at her. She could see the pleading, concern, desperation in his eyes, as well as another emotion she wasn't sure she could decipher. It felt like the same way she looked at him for all their time as rangers—love—but she couldn't be sure. The thought that Nick could be looking at her with even a small degree in his eyes was enough to make her cheeks flush with more color than what Vida had but on her though the art of makeup.

"Are you okay?" She heard Nick ask in a soft tone. Madison could only nod. She felt Nick's hold on her waist shift, as if he was helping her steady herself but he also seemed to be pulling her closer to him. "Maddie, I-" He began, his voice catching at the effect their proximity was having on his now jack-hammering heart. He slowing inched closer to her, his lips coming closer to hers. Madison tried to simply give into the moment, but her head wouldn't let her. She blinked, turning her head away, effectively breaking the spell they were both under. Nick stood up straight as he felt Madison trying to push away from him. He scrambled to keep his hold on her but it was too late. Madison pus away, forgetting about her not so steady balance, resulting in her falling on her butt on the ground. "Maddie," Nick exclaimed, concerned as he went to help her up.

"No," Madison said, pushing his hands away. She pushed herself up to her feet, wobbling a bit on the heels but still able to stand up straight and fix him with a hard glare. "Just, go away Nick," she said coldly. Nick pursed his lips as he felt his heart break even further.

"Madison," he said, a pleading edge to his tone. "Please, just….let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain," she snapped, her tone telling him she meant business. "You left. I understood why you left, but then you stayed away for so long and didn't bother to contact me…or anyone for that matter….obviously…." her voice trailed off as new tears collected in her eyes. "I wasn't that important……..and you can't just come back here and expect me to let you just……." She closed her eyes, shaking her head as she refused to let him know all the ways he had affected her and how she saw him.

"You were important," Nick insisted. "You are," he restated. "Madison, I-"

"Maddie," they heard someone behind them. Nick and Madison turned to see Chip, Vida and Xander standing not to far from them, all wearing concerned expressions on their faces. Madison wiped at the tears in her eyes and quickly walked over to them.

"Madison, wait," Nick begged. Madison only quickened her pace. She soon stood by the others, her eyes falling on Vida.

"I want to go home," she said. Vida blinked and cast a look at Nick. She sighed and nodded. She put an arm around her sister's shoulders and let Madison lean into her for support as the two sisters made their way back to Vida's car, leaving the guys alone. Nick blinked, their retreating form springing him into action. He picked up the fallen rose and quickly jogged after them.

"Nick, mate, maybe you should-" Xander began, grabbing Nick's arm to stop him. Nick simply shook out of his hold and kept going. By the time he caught up to the girls, Madison and Vida had already gotten in the car and Vida was about to start up the engine.

"Wait," he called, jogging to the car.

"Vida, go," Madison pleaded. Vida sighed and turned the key in the ignition just as Nick got to Madison's side of the car.

"Maddie, just-"

"Nick, maybe now's not the time," Vida said softly, seeing how distraught her sister already was. Nick blinked, shocked that the person who had encouraged him to do this in the first place was now telling him to give up. He walked around to Vida's side of the car and handed the rose to her.

"Just….give this to her, please," he said, utterly crestfallen. Vida took the flower and watched as he walked away, defeated. Vida sighed and placed the rose on the dashboard, casting a look at Madison.

"I don't want to hear it," Madison snapped. Vida sighed and nodded, stepping on the gas pedal and pulling out of the parking lot.


	20. Dependence

Summary: Madison regards Nick's blanket.

Note: Takes place a few days after "Pride".

---

Dependence

It had been a few days since Madison's confrontation with Nick at and outside the club. Since then, Madison had refused to talk about it with anyone. No matter how much Vida, Xander, Chip, or Leelee, Phineas after they heard about it, tried to ask her about it, she'd either change the subject or walk away depending on her level of annoyance. Vida, fearing what would happen to Nick's gesture of love had Madison had a hold of it in her anger, kept the rose in a vase in the hallway on the table in the hallway that connected their rooms. Madison was too busy being surly and spending all her available time in her room to pay it much notice.

As for Madison, all her time in her room was spent thinking about Nick and trying to not think about him at the same time. She was furious. She had no doubt that Vida especially, if not the group as a whole, had some prior knowledge to the event. Due to Xander and Chip's surprised expressions at seeing Nick that night, she figured it was probably just Vida since, even in Madison's distraught state, she could tell Vida was more shocked by how the reunion was spiraling downward and not so much by the fact that it was going on at all. A part of Madison felt bad, her sister had obviously worked hard to make everything go well—talking her into wearing that outfit and the makeup. In her time of private reflection, Madison could see that Vida only wanted the best not only out of that night but for Madison in general. Even still, her anger towards Nick and her questioning about everything kept her from going to Vida and telling her she wasn't mad at her, just at Nick.

As Madison continued going from thinking of him and wishing she could stop, she thought about the blanket buried deep in her closet. She pulled it out, holding it on her lap as she sat on her bed. She regarded the blanket as if it were Nick himself she was looking at. She felt anger, resentment, but as much as she wanted to, she knew she didn't feel hate towards the object or Nick. Madison sighed and leaned back in her bed as she further reflected on everything. God help her, she did still love Nick. That was the one thing she hated---her inability to move on from him. Madison sighed and cast her eyes at the blanket again. She suddenly saw it as a means to an end---this blanket had been her reason for believing Nick would be back, and the object of her disdain as each day passed without him. Before deciding to hide it away in the closet, she had clung to it like a child clinging to its blanket. Yes, she was just like those toddlers who'd drag around their baby blanket with them, not caring how dirty or tattered it became. She had become the Peanuts character, Linus. All that was missing was her walking around with her thumb in her mouth.

Madison knew she needed to be rid of the blanket, this object of all her hopes and dreams involving Nick, once and for all. She needed to be rid of Nick. Throwing it away wouldn't be enough. The blanket had developed too much meaning over time, its removal couldn't be easy, and it had to be symbolic and effective. She had to be sure it returned to its owner and he knew exactly why he was getting it back.

---

Walking back into the mystic forest brought a wave of nostalgia and longing to Madison. How she wished it was back when things were, at least on an emotional level, simpler. Sure, it came with the drawback of fighting evil everyday but at least she was actually happy in those times fighting alongside the others. She sighed as she continued on her way; blanket in hand, towards Rootcore, the one place she knew he'd be.


End file.
